Code Lyoko: Super Soldier
by Winter Coma
Summary: Complete. Carter is the typical new girl at Kadic Academy that you can find in any fanfic. But what's not so typical is her insane connection to Lyoko and a secret underground project that includes Franz Hopper. Curious? Then read on.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning of It All

Code Lyoko: Super Soldier

_Warning: I fail at summaries._

Carter is the typical new girl at Kadic Academy that you can find in any fanfic. But what's not so typical is her insane connection to Lyoko and the men in black. Curious?

Rated T for swearing and some minor gore.

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><p>Chapter 1: The Beginning of It All<p>

_I was in the backseat of my parents' car. We had just left from a band recital where I had rocked out on the drums. It was nine thirty at night. _

_How was my dad supposed to see a truck with no lights on, being driven by a drunk driver?_

_When he did realize it, it was too late. The impact took my mom out instantly, though I didn't see it. I had blacked out when it happened. When I finally woke up, it was pitch black, save for the red and blue flashing lights of a police car. I tried to reach out to my parents, and even then I knew they were dead. _

_I stared at their bodies, their unrecognizable faces as the unimaginable horror raced through my mind._

_My mother's face was only a look of surprise when the engine of the other car rammed into her, getting her in the stomach._

_But my father… His face was twisted in pure agony and fear as he saw the glass impale him right at his heart._

_And all I could do was scream as the medics tried to save us._

_I was only eight years old._

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><p>I woke up in a cold sweat in my uncle's car. My vision was blurry, and the sun peeking through the window didn't help at all. "Are you all right, sweetheart?" My uncle's warm voice asked from the driver's seat.<p>

"Yeah, dad, I'm fine." After my parents died, my uncle took me in. He looks almost exactly like my dad, so when I was little, I started to call him my dad. I don't really know why, but the nickname just stuck.

"We're almost at the school. We can stop at one of the shops for some breakfast if you're hungry." Food did sound good. I hadn't eaten anything since dad and I left my grandparents' house the night before to drive the hundred miles it took to get here.

Thankfully, Kadic Academy was surrounded by the beautiful city of Paris, France and had a number of cafes and shops in it. Tomorrow was my first day of school; for my dad, it meant he had to go back to teaching at the military school history department in America. We wouldn't get to see each other for a long time. But at least for today, we were able to hang out.

After about thirty minutes, we stopped at the café closest to Kadic and had breakfast. And of course, my dad's cell phone rang before we even ordered any food.

"Hello? ... Oh, hi mom." My dad stuck his finger in his mouth to tell me that it was grandmother calling, the one we left the night before. "Yes, we're near Kadic. We just stopped for some breakfast before Carter- I mean, Catherina, enrolled for the year." Dad paused. "Yes, she's right next to me. Here you go." He handed the phone to me.

"Yes, grandmother?" I answered hesitantly. "Hello, dear. How are things?" My grandmother's clipped tone rang out in my ears. My grandma was a strict person who raised my mother in France and who did not like my father-my real one- very much. Although she had some respect for my uncle for taking care of me despite not even being married.

Both of my grandparents are doctors, though they look so beautiful that they could be models. My mother definitely got her looks from them. They were the ones who gave me a crash course in all things French during the two months I stayed at their house.

"Everything is great, grandmother. I can see the school, and it looks like a university." I wasn't lying; the academy was a boarding school, and already I could see the huge campus stretching out before me.

"Yes, it's probably better than any of your American schools," My grandmother's voice had a smug tone to it. Like anybody patriotic to their country, they thought their country was the best the world had ever seen. My grandparents were no exception.

"I don't know about that, but it certainly is different." I turned back to my dad, who was fiddling with his tie. His handsome face looked uncomfortable, and he was combing his black hair with his hands, and nervous trait of his- was something wrong?

"I figure you must not want to talk to me, since this is your last day with your uncle, so I end with this: We are all very proud of you, especially since you took our hellish training in French culture in stride." I smiled at that. "We expect great things from, Catherina. Do not disappoint us." And then the call ended.

That was weird. Grandmother never spoke like that; Grandfather maybe, but not grandmother. But without a second thought, I gave the phone back to my dad. He looked really relieved. He didn't explain why, and I didn't pry. I didn't want to ruin today of all days.

After breakfast, we parked the car in the school parking lot and left for the administrative office to enroll. My dad had to leave soon, so we were in a hurry. It didn't help that we were getting lost.

"Hold on, I'll ask for directions." I left my dad with the school map and walked up to two girls, one pretty Asian girl dressed in black and one with awesome dyed pink hair and an elfin face.

"Hi. Would either of you know where the administrative office is?" I asked them both. "Over there," the Asian one said, pointing to the building next to her. "Thanks," I said, relieved, and ran back to my dad. "We're here." He looked at the building in front of him. "Of course it would be right in front of me. It's so obvious."

From there, we met Mr. Delmas, the principal of the school who enrolled me and gave me my class schedule. I won't tell you the entire speech, since it was a bunch of fluff anyway, but he did mention my grades quite a bit. He also mentioned I had a roommate, which I was more or less okay with, and finished off with "We are all very happy to have you here at Kadic Academy."

After we left the office, my dad had to leave. He looked like he was about to cry, but he was in the military, and they don't tolerate weakness. The same can be said about family. I said to him, "Don't cry, dad. You're too old to do that."

"What about you? You're only fifteen! Your still a child. You shouldn't be so far away from your family." "You know this is a good thing for me. Without my grades, I wouldn't get this chance to go to France. Besides, I had to get out of San Diego eventually." I answered him softly, knowing that after he left, he would totally break down. "I'll see you at break." After a long hug, he left, never looking back.

I didn't bother watching him. I walked to the dorms, hoping that all my stuff came here this morning. In the meantime, I was able to see a bunch of other rich kids roaming around campus with their parents, acting as if they didn't have a care in the world. Then again, it was probably their last day with their parents as well, so they want to act all happy for each other.

The dorm was a huge building with four stories and blended in with the rest of the school. Boys were on the second and fourth floors, girls first and third. My room was on the third, the farthest one down the hall. I knocked before entering.

The girl with pink hair that I met earlier was already making herself at home, putting up a poster of the Subdigitals, a band I had never heard about. She noticed me after a few seconds.

"Oh! Hi there. You're the girl from earlier, right?" She smiled at me. She had a really nice smile.

"Yeah. You can call me Carter." I looked at the small room. Two beds on either walls, two small desks, one with an ancient computer and the other with a brand new laptop on it- my roommate's property, I presumed. There was an ancient metal bookshelf and two armoires for the two of us. My stuff was laid neatly on the right side of the room.

"You can call me Aelita." The pinkette now had a name. "The girl you met earlier was Yumi. I can introduce you to my other friends later."

"You don't have to do that!" I said a bit too quickly. "I mean, even though we're roommates and have to get along, that doesn't mean we have to be best friends or anything." I could feel my face heating up as I spoke.

Aelita laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind at all." And with that she went back to putting up her poster.

I sighed. I had given her an out and she refused to take it. We could be friends after all.

I checked out the armoire. It had a convenient mirror on the inside of the door when you opened it, though it was small. I wanted to see if I had red eyes from almost crying earlier.

Dad always said I looked like the perfect child for my mom and real dad, and if you've seen pictures of either of them, you'd have to agree. I had my father's black hair and ice blue eyes, but I had my mother's oval face, pale skin, and in a few years, her curves as well. I didn't inherit her blond hair or brown eyes. My mom really was a model for a while before she had me, and after I was born she became a photographer. She was really good at it too, taking wedding pictures and getting a lot of money for it. When she found out I had a knack for drawing, she made me take special art classes. It's thanks to her that I can draw so well.

Tears started welling in my eyes at the thought of my mother. I willed them back before Aelita saw me. I then started to unpack my stuff, starting with my clothes.

Just then, Aelita's cell phone rang. She answered saying, "Jeremy! How are you?" I couldn't hear what the other guy was saying. It was probably just her boyfriend. I continued to put my clothes in the armoire.

"Yeah, I'm in the dorms. No, I haven't finished packing, but I can still come. Is it okay if I bring a friend?" She smiled at me. Why hadn't I seen this coming?

"It's my roommate, silly! I'll see you there." She put her phone away in the pocket of her pink shorts and grabbed my hand. "Come on! You have to meet my friends. I think you'll like them." And with that, I was being dragged out towards the campus.

* * *

><p>"Is she coming?" Ulrich asked Jeremy as he put his phone away. "Yeah, and she's bringing someone with her."<p>

"Who?" Yumi asked. "She said it was her roommate." Jeremy answered. "Is she cute?" Odd asked typically.

"No idea. I haven't met her." "Looks like we're about to." Yumi pointed at her friend Aelita and the poor girl she was dragging with her. "Now that I think about it, I think I saw her before. Aelita's friend, I mean."

"You did?" Ulrich asked. "Yeah. Earlier she asked me for directions. She was really pretty." "You don't say,"Ulrich said as Aelita stopped short of the group.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet Carter, my new roommate." She gestured to the girl next to her.

Yumi wasn't kidding; she really was beautiful. Her ice-sharp eyes contrasted nicely with the softness of her facial features, and her waist long black hair gleamed blue in the sunlight. She was wearing a large black tee shirt, tattered jeans and beat-up flip flops, as if she didn't particularly care how she looked. She was only a little taller than Aelita.

Odd's jaw dropped at the sight of her.

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><p>"Hey," I said shyly. Aelita's friends were a strange mix: there was a blond boy with horn-rimmed glasses that made him seem like a computer nerd, the pretty Asian girl with a thing for black, a handsome German boy who was probably dating the most popular girl in school, and a boy with a hairstyle that defied gravity itself and a love for purple. The strange thing about the last boy was the fact that he had a purple splotch in the middle of his hair. It was probably dyed, like Aelita's hair.<p>

"You can close your mouth now," I said to one of them. His brunette friend laughed as the other one burned red.

"Something tells me you guys get along great," Aelita said, smiling. She was probably remembering my earlier statement about not having to be best friends.

And, of course, when a group of friends are getting along, someone has to come by and ruin it.

"Well isn't this a pretty picture!" A snobby voice rang out. The laughter died immediately.

"Oh, great, not you!" The handsome German boy exclaimed. It was obvious that this was someone everyone particularly detested.

"Who's the new girl, Ulrich?" She asked him. "She better not be your girlfriend." "Don't tell me your jealous, Sissi." The purple boy said in a mocking tone.

"Shut up, Odd!" The girl named Sissi said. She turned back to me. "Listen, new girl. You keep your hands off of my Ulrich, you hear?" She had a horribly smug look that seriously ticked me off.

"First of all, I can talk to whomever whenever I want. Second of all, the new girl has a name. It's Carter. But from the way you've been acting, I doubt you'll even remember it, you brat."

"Excuse me?" Sissi yelled, flabbergasted. "I'm sorry. Am I speaking to fast for you?" I said slowly, like I was talking to a child.

Sissi didn't bother to retaliate. She left in a huff and didn't look back.

"That was awesome!" Odd said, patting me on the back. "Remind me next time not to get you angry." Ulrich said with a small smile.

"Who was that anyway? I mean, I know her name and attitude, but…"

"That's Sissi, the principal's daughter. But don't worry, we all talk like that to her." Aelita reassured me.

"Right. Anything else I need to know?" I asked. I didn't know the names of everyone here.

"Well, you obviously know Aelita. This is Jeremy, the Einstein of the group"- Odd pointed at the nerdy-looking guy- "that's Ulrich, the quiet one. This is Yumi"-he pointed at the pretty Asian girl-"She's also someone you don't want to mess with. And I'm Odd, the funny one."

"He may say that, but his jokes are terrible," Jeremy joked, talking for the first time. Everyone laughed, even me.

Suddenly, Jeremy's computer bag started ringing. It was probably his laptop needing a recharge, but from the way he acted, it sounded much worse.

"Uh, guys…" Jeremy trailed off. The others looked at me, their faces giving them away. _How do we get rid of her nicely?_

"I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll see you back at the dorm later, Aelita." I walked away, hearing their running feet as they got away. "I'll see you later!" was Aelita's answer.

Who would have thought that my blissfully normal existence would forever be warped by something that sounded like a sci-fi movie?

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><p><em>Congratulations on making it through the first chapter of my very first fan fic. Aren't first chapters the hardest to get through?<em>

_I do not own anything by Moon Scope, except Carter. Insert more legal stuff here._

_Anyway, I'm always open for some constructive criticism, if you did read the entire thing._

_But please, no flaming._


	2. Chapter 2: Easier to See Than Explain

Chapter 2: Easier to See Than Explain

_I don't own anything except Carter and the other characters I created._

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><p>I went back to the dorm to finish unpacking. I didn't particularly understand what was going on with Aelita and her friends, but something told me they didn't want me included. Which was understandable, since I was the intruder in their group.<p>

No one else was in the building when I got there. Good thing, too. I didn't want to talk to anyone, and if someone came up to me, I would've acted all bitchy.

The room was still as messy as when I left it, cluttered with suitcases. I went straight to the clothes again, unpacking them first over anything else. I didn't stop unpacking until it was time for lunch.

The mess hall wasn't too far from the dorm, and I enjoyed a nice stroll before entering the cafeteria. I went straight to the lunch line, which was already growing, and went to get food. Coincidentally- or not, depending how you look at it- Odd was right in front of me.

"Hey, Carter. How's it going?" He said happily, grabbing two trays and handing one to me. I nodded my thanks and answered, "Nothing much. Just trying to get a feel of the school so I won't get lost tomorrow."

"Guess you're a new student then. Where are you from?"

"San Diego, California. I'm just starting the tenth grade here."

"You're from America?" Odd asked, acting all surprised. "We don't get many of you from around here. In fact, you might be the first American to come here in a while."

"Is that so? And where would you be from?" I asked as we moved up the line.

"Italy. We tend to get people only from this side of the globe. For example, Ulrich and Yumi. Ulrich's from Germany and Yumi's from Japan, though Yumi's lived here most of her life."

We were now in front of the lunch lady. "Rosa, darling, what are we having today? Spaghetti and meatballs? Lasagna? Shepherd's pie?" Odd licked his lips at the thought of all that food.

"Vegetarian lasagna. And I'm limiting you to two servings per meal, Mr. Della Robbia." Rosa the lunch lady ordered, waving her wooden spoon at the hungry boy.

"But how will you know if there's too much or too little of something if I don't have a healthy portion?" Odd mockingly begged, putting his hands together and giving Rosa a pleading look.

"I'll manage," she said curtly and gave him a plate of the lasagna. Odd was grumbling about the cruelty of it all as she gave me one as well. I smiled my thanks before turning to Odd.

"I take it you eat a lot?"

"Not that much really. Just five or six portions at every meal." I don't think he was kidding.

"Seriously? But how are you so…" Odd was kind of short for his age, and I had the feeling he was sensitive about it.

"Svelte?" Odd added for my benefit. "Yeah, let's go with that." We walked together to a table with the friends I saw earlier, sans Yumi.

"Where's Yumi?" I asked, sitting down near Aelita. "She had to go home for lunch. She's a day student, so she can do that," Jeremy explained.

"And I'm sure Ulrich here is missing her already," Odd joked. Everyone laughed as Ulrich blushed. It was obviously an inside joke.

"Ulrich and Yumi secretly like each other, but they won't go out for some reason," Aelita explained to me.

"I bet Sissi isn't too happy about that," I speculated as I shoveled food into my mouth. Odd laughed at the thought. "That won't stop Sissi though."

"You talk as if she has a chance with me," Ulrich said, recovering from the earlier joke aimed at him. "We know she doesn't, but tell that to her," Jeremy playfully added, sending them into another round of laughs. Obviously, this was an inside joke.

Clearly this was a group of close-knit friends. Aelita meant well when she introduced me to them, but I was still intruding on what was probably years of friendship.

"But enough about that. Tell us about yourself," Aelita steered the conversation over to me. I squirmed in the spotlight.

"Well, I was raised in San Diego, California, and lived with my uncle there since I was eight. He works at the nearest military academy as a history teacher. I do okay in school, but I don't know how I'll fair here."

"You're from America?" Once again, I was met with surprised expressions. I was obviously a novelty around here.

"Yes. Is that bad?" I asked them, meeting their stares. "No," Aelita answered hastily. "It's just that we don't get a lot of people over there."

"Your French is great, though." Ulrich was obviously trying to compliment me to get my mind off of their reactions.

"My mother was French, so guess it was always easy for me to speak it. That, and the hellish lessons I took before coming here helped me tremendously." I continued to eat my food as they battered me with questions. By the end of lunch, they knew my favorite bands (Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance), my favorite subject (art), and they knew I used to play the drums in band class.

"Looking forward to any classes here?" Aelita asked me as we walked to the trash can.

"The Ancient Greek class. I've always liked Greek mythology," I said without any hesitation. It was really easy to talk to everyone now. I almost felt like I was a part of the group.

Which reminded me: "Where did you guys go earlier? You know, when Jeremy's laptop started beeping and you all ran off?"

"Oh, we all had to go to a virtual world where we fight an evil computer program bent on taking over the world," Odd said easily.

It was so preposterous that it couldn't be true. "Fine. Don't tell me. I guess it's an insider thing anyway." I tuned and tried to walk away. I was almost out the door when Aelita grabbed my hand and stopped me. "Don't be angry."

"I'm not angry." I really wasn't. "You guys obviously have a strong bond and I don't want to come in between that. Besides, I'm an outsider. You don't have to explain everything to me."

Aelita let go of my hand, looking relieved. Everyone did, for that matter. Of course they would have. They didn't have to explain their secret anymore.

"I'll see you later, okay?" I told Aelita. "Where are you going?" she asked me.

"I'm going to take a little walk to where all my classes are. I still don't know the entire layout of the school."

"I'll join you," Odd volunteered, walking up to me. I blinked. "You don't have to."

"I want to," He said, and with that he led me around campus.

* * *

><p>"I'm glad she gave us an out for that," Jeremy said. "She does seem understanding," Ulrich added.<p>

Aelita stayed silent, watching Odd and Carter as they walked away.

Ulrich noticed. "Something wrong, Aelita?"

"I guess I just feel a little bad that I alienated her like that." Aelita was remembering what Carter had just said. Had she accidentally hurt her?

"She knows you meant well, and honestly, she seems really nice, once you get to know her," Jeremy said, trying to help his friend. "But she does have a point. She is technically an outsider, and we shouldn't bring her into Lyoko."

"But what are we going to do about this year? Last year none of us could keep up with school with all the XANA attacks and with William getting possessed by XANA. I don't know about you guys, but I can't do bad this year." Ulrich's dad was extremely hard to please, and last year's academic performance didn't help one bit.

"Are you suggesting we make her a Lyoko warrior?"

"No, Jeremy, you were right about before, about her being an outsider. But if she proves that she can help us out, even in the real world, I say we at least take a vote to include her."

"I don't necessarily hate the idea of extra manpower on our team, but we should wait to get Yumi's input," Jeremy said diplomatically. "So until then, we don't say anything to Carter. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Aelita?"

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>"…and his is the Science wing, where we experiment how to blow stuff up within a time limit," Odd announced as he showed me around school. I smiled at his feeble attempt at a joke.<p>

Secretly, I was glad that someone offered to walk with me, even someone as odd as… Odd. I liked the idea of hanging out with friends like this. I couldn't really do that back in San Diego.

"So tell me about your hometown. Is it as sunny as they say it is? Are the people over there really vegetarians?" Odd was bouncing around, like he couldn't keep still for the life of him.

"Yes, it is very sunny over there. And no, not everyone is a vegetarian, at least not completely. But we're all used to eating healthy stuff, so everyone does eat vegetarian food." I tried to remember what it was like back in San Diego: a beautiful beach, people walking everywhere, kids my age laughing… I stopped there. I didn't want to remember _that_.

"Tell me about your friends. Were they as pretty as you?" Odd flirted. He sat down on one of the benches in the campus. There was no getting out of this. He would know eventually.

"I didn't have many close friends. The ones I considered 'close' all stabbed me in the back at some point." I could remember it so vividly now; people talking about me behind my back, calling me a boyfriend stealer, writing hateful things on my locker…

"You okay, Carter?" Odd waved his hand in front of my face. I opened my eyes- I didn't even know they were closed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just remembering what complete bitches those girls became," I laughed despite the trauma. Those girls were really stupid, now that I think about it.

"First your sad, now you're laughing? Are you bipolar or something?" Odd asked, examining me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just remembering some of the things they used to say about me." I started to talk in my stupidest valley girl voice. "'Carter's such a slut.' 'She's so stupid.' 'She's such a bitch.' They couldn't even make something up to make me seem even more hateful." I turned to a bewildered Odd. "I guess I should take it all as a compliment. They hated me so much that they constantly talked about me."

I was pretty sure he thought I was crazy. But instead of saying so, Odd said, "It's good to see you rise above all that hate. But what did you do to get all that?"

"That's just it. I don't know. I got so much grief for doing nothing!" I felt unusually giddy and happy. It was like something had been lifted off my chest, an invisible burden that I had tried to ignore.

"But that's over and done with. I'm in a new country, a new school. I refuse to be tied by past." I finally sat down next to Odd on the bench.

"I'm glad to hear it." The two of us smiled at each other, just sharing a sweet moment together.

"So tell me about yourself," I asked Odd. And from there he launched into a story about how he liked skateboarding, art, music, and his dog Kiwi.

I was laughing at one of his crazy stories when I heard something coming from the forest behind us.

"Did you hear that?" I turned around and looked at the trees. We weren't that far away from it.

"Hear what?" Odd also looked behind him. Just then, something moved in the bushes.

I got up and started walking to it.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking it out," I said matter-of-factly. The bushes were small, so it had to be an animal, like a squirrel or something.

I wasn't completely wrong. It looked like an animal. It had four stubby metallic legs, and a bulbous tan head with a strange eye pattern on it. It had a single red eye, and it was beginning to glow.

"Hey, Odd, check this out," I called out. This was a really strange animal. But why did it seem so familiar? Had I seen it before now?

"Carter, watch out. It's a krankrelet!" Odd yelled as he ran over to me.

"A what?" I asked as a laser shot out past me ear. I missed me by half an inch. I stared at the thing in shock.

And then I saw more of those things. I didn't stop to count. I started to run as more lasers shot at me.

Odd joined up with me, dialing his phone. "Go into the forest!" He ordered as he led me deep into the trees.

"But there could be more of them!" I tried to reason, but like a typical guy, he wouldn't hear of it.

"Jeremy!" He shouted into his phone. "There are a bunch of kankrelets chasing me and Carter! Is there an activated tower?"

I didn't understand anything he was saying, but I didn't dwell on it. I was too busy dodging lasers.

As we got deeper into the forest, I started to notice the clearing. There was a manhole covering in the middle of it. Odd stopped here. He was still on the phone.

"I have to bring Carter to the factory." He paused. "What do you mean I can't?... Yes, I know they're after me… Okay, call me if it gets worse." He shut off his phone and looked at me. "We're on our own."

"I figured as much." The kankrelets were gaining on us. "What do we do about them?"

"Fight them." Odd said simply.

"With what, a stick?" Odd went over to the side and picked up two fallen branches.

"Good idea." He handed one to me.

"Fine by me. DIE!" I shrieked as I charged the krankrelet things. I heard Odd say something, but I didn't bother to listen. I was too busy trying to kick butt.

Don't get me wrong. It was pretty scary, being shot at by strange creatures with laser beams. But I had seen my own parents die right before my eyes, and to top it all off, I had been bullied mercilessly by my own peers. This was nothing compared to that.

I started bashing the krankrelets before they could shoot at me. Odd helped me out, yelling out the occasional corny battle cry, like "Let's swat some bugs!" or "Ragnarok and roll!" We had almost finished up wiping the floor with these guys when I was shot in the leg.

"Ow! Motherf-!" I swore as I went down. The last krankrelet had hit me when I wasn't looking. The laser had burnt a hole in my lower pants leg, and what should have been pale skin was a huge red welt that hurt like hell. It was impossible for me to walk.

Odd swatted the krankrelet away from me as I recovered. As he helped me up, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'll live, but more importantly, what as that thing? What the hell is going on?" I demanded to know. I wasn't going to take another step before I knew what I had gotten myself into.

"It's a long story," Odd finally said. "I have time," I said curtly before I plopped myself onto the ground.

"Get back up," he ordered. "It'll be easier to just see it yourself."

The pain was beginning to recede. I was able to stand without swearing too much. Nevertheless, Odd held onto me as I struggled to walk.

Together we waddled to the manhole cover. Odd let go of me to open it.

"Ladies first," He said, acting like a gentleman.

I took my cue and climbed down into the sewers. It didn't stink too badly, and it was awfully clean, nothing like the sewers depicted in movies.

Odd jumped from the ladder and landed right next to me. I jumped a little, but wasn't outright startled. Thankfully, Odd didn't make fun of me for being scared.

He pointed at the wall. There laid one skateboard and one scooter. "Can you skateboard?" Odd asked me.

"No, but I can use a scooter pretty well," I replied, grabbing the scooter. The pain in my leg where the krankrelet shot me earlier was almost completely gone. "Where to?"

"Right in front of you," He said as he skated away. I followed him as he led me down farther into the sewer system. We didn't stop until we were under another manhole cover.

After we ascended to the top, I noticed that we were on an old bridge leading to an abandoned factory on a man-made island.

"You can sight-see later! Come on!" Odd said as he ran towards the factory. Left without a choice, I followed him.

Nothing was ever the same again.

* * *

><p><em>And that is the second chapter of my very first fanfic. I'd like to post chapters more often, but its Christmas break, and I have annoying family members to attend to, and school is going to get in the way soon, especially with exams coming up… But I'll think of something, don't worry.<em>

_Anyway, please read and review. And like all good writers, I'm always open for some constructive criticism._


	3. Chapter 3: Trust Isn't Easy to Earn

Chapter 3: Trust Isn't Easy To Earn

_I'm surprised at how fast the story is going. It's only Carter's first day and already she's heading for the factory! I'm glad I don't have to put in useless fluff chapters, though._

_I own nothing except the story and my own characters._

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><p>The factory was old and abandoned, and some parts of it were missing on the inside.<p>

For example, a staircase to the lower levels.

There were only two ropes that you could swing on to get down. Odd immediately jumped off the platform, grabbed a rope in midair, and swung down to the bottom.

"What are you, an acrobat?" I called out to him. I grabbed the other rope and tried not to look down.

"What are you, chicken?" He called back, smirking.

"Oh, no, you didn't," I muttered under my breath. Without thinking, I leaped off the platform and swung down next to Odd.

"Goddamn!" I swore as I felt my hands burn. "How do you get used to the rope burn?" I asked Odd as I blew on my hands. As if that would get rid of the burn.

"You get calluses," Odd shrugged as he showed me his hands. His hands were worn and looked rough.

"I have moisturizer back at the dorm if you need it," I teased. Odd just stuck out his tongue.

I sighed and followed him into an elevator. "Where are you taking me?" I asked as he punched in a code on a number pad that was near a big red button.

"To where the magic happens," he said mysteriously.

"That was a really stupid way of putting it," I told him flat-out. "Jeremy was right; Your jokes are terrible."

"Ow!" Odd mimed getting shot in the heart. He staggered back as the elevator began its descent. "That was brutal."

"I was just telling the truth. I try not to go soft on anyone if I can help it." I stared at my hands; they were still red and tingly, but they were fine.

"I can tell. The way you thrashed those krankrelets earlier was scary." Odd shook his head like he was getting rid of a bad memory. I was about to retaliate, but the elevator stopped suddenly, and its doors opened to show the weirdest thing ever.

There was a giant computer next to a big hole in the floor. The hole was projecting an image of a… world with four parts: a mountain part, a place that looked like Antarctica, a giant forest, and… the Sahara desert?

What was weirder was the person sitting in front of the computer, controlling everything.

"Jeremy? What are you doing here?" I exclaimed out of shock. The blond boy jumped a little in his seat, and turned around.

"Carter? What were you thinking, Odd, bringing her here?" Jeremy yelled at him. "Hey, I ask the questions here! Now tell me what the hell is going on!" I was in no mood for accusations.

"I'd do what she say, Jeremy. She can be really scary when she wants to be." Odd stared at me apprehensively. He was probably remembering what I did to all those krankrelets (at least before I got shot).

"Jeremy! We're in trouble!" someone shouted into Jeremy's earpiece. It sounded like Aelita. "What's going on over there?" Jeremy checked the screen.

"There's an entire army of krabs and tarantulas surrounding Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi, and Yumi doesn't have many life points left. Odd, head for the scanner room. Carter, stay here and I will explain everything." I finally stepped out of the elevator just before the doors shut. "See you later," Odd said to me before he left.

I didn't bother to stay and watch him go down. I walked over to where Jeremy was. "Are you sure you don't need any help wherever those guys are?" I pointed to the flashing green and red lights on the computer screen. There was a whole lot of red lights on that thing.

"I'm sure. Besides, you're new to all of this. It'd be suicide to send you in without knowing what you're doing." Jeremy turned back to the computer.

"Odd, I'm starting up the procedure." Jeremy was talking into his earpiece again, but it wasn't into the computer. It was probably downstairs, in the scanner room, whatever that is.

"Transfer: Odd. Scanner: Odd." As Jeremy said this, a picture of Odd came on the screen. He was in a weird purple cat costume that looked loose and hard to maneuver in. And then the picture began to glow, as if it was loading. As soon as it was done 'loading', Jeremy said, "Virtualization."

The picture disappeared off the screen. Odd appeared as a green arrow on the screen, along with Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita. He had landed exactly where they were.

Just as Odd landed on the desert part of the virtual world, Yumi's arrow disappeared.

"What happened to Yumi?" I was afraid that she had died or something when all her life points disappeared.

"Don't worry," Jeremy comforted me. "She's downstairs in the scanner room. She's a little tired, but she'll live."

And from there he explained to me all about Lyoko: how he found Aelita in the supercomputer when he broke into the factory to get spare parts for his robots, how he turned it on and accidently unleashed XANA, an evil computer program bent on destroying humanity, and how they all virtualized themselves to fight XANA. He had even gotten Aelita out of the supercomputer and discovered that she was human and that her father, Franz Hopper had tried to save her life by getting her onto Lyoko. Eventually XANA had gotten stronger and so the Lyoko warriors had enlisted William Dunbar as a probationary warrior until he got possessed by XANA. Now XANA was even stronger and the good guys needed all the help they could get.

"That is one insane story. If I hadn't just experienced some of it, I wouldn't have believed it." I shook my head. "And from the look of things, it seems that you need my help." Odd, Aelita, and Ulrich had succeeded in taking out half the krab/tarantula army, but they were losing life points fast, and from what I know about Aelita, she can't afford to be devirtualized.

"Don't bother," Yumi snarled. She was clutching her stomach as she walked out of the elevator. I had been so absorbed by Jeremy's story that I hadn't even noticed her.

"She's just like William. She can't be trusted." Yumi glared at me like _I _was XANA himself.

"How do you know that?" I asked her. "I'm not William, nor am I as reckless as him. You will never know what I'm capable of if you never give me a chance." I stared her down until she gave in.

"Fine, go. I just hope you prove me wrong." Yumi got out of the way as I ran into the elevator. I punched in the code I saw Odd do earlier, and down I went into the scanner room.

I instantly knew that I had been here before. My vision got fuzzy, and my eyes started to water.

I saw myself as a child, probably seven or eight. My dad- no, my uncle, was with me. He kept telling me, "It's okay, sweetie. It's going to be fine. Trust me." He kept saying that even as I got into one of the scanners. The doors closed and…

I opened my eyes, staring at the same scanner I entered in my vision. I was breathing heavily as I stood in it. "This… isn't going to hurt me, is it?" I wheezed.

"It shouldn't," Jeremy's voice rang out from hidden speakers inside the room. "That's reassuring," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice as the scanner doors shut themselves.

"Transfer: Carter. Scanner: Carter." I heard Jeremy say as the inside of the scanner burned white. I closed my eyes to protect them from the glare.

"Virtualization." And with that, I dozed off into oblivion.

But not quite.

* * *

><p><em>And so concludes chapter three. I would've gotten done sooner, but I had family to attend to. Isn't it funny how when they visit, they think they're doing you a favor when in fact they're not? They tend to get on people's nerves after the first day or so.<em>

_I noticed that I made Yumi and Jeremy seem… harsh towards Carter. That's what I get for letting the characters take over the story. Whatever, I'll go along with this for now, see how it goes._

_Anyway, please read and review, and like always, I want to hear your opinions. _


	4. Chapter 4: At Death's Door

Chapter 4: At Death's Door

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was up twenty feet in the air.<p>

Normally, being up that high without a safe way to get down would scare the crap out of me, but for whatever reason, I felt calm. Like I had done this before.

_It's probably just a dream. That would explain why I'm not scared_, I thought as I plummeted to the ground.

"OW!" I screeched as I landed safely on my ass. That hurt! _Wait, that hurt. So this isn't a dream? _

Okay, so this was reality. Virtual reality, but still not a dream. Now that I was on the ground, I got a good look at everything.

I was in the ice part of Lyoko. Have you ever seen pictures of Antarctica or one of the poles? That was what I was seeing, just without the animals.

But what was really freaking me out was the fact that I didn't need to _breathe_. I could feel, see, and hear, but I couldn't suck air into my lungs like back on Earth. _So this is what it's like in a video game, _I thought as I calmed down.

I walked over to the ocean, standing on the ledge and looking at my reflection. My black hair was in a tight ponytail, showing my sharp features. I looked at my clothes.

I was a Goth loli.

I had black thigh high boots with a silver fringe at the thigh. My short black dress billowed out, like a bat's wing. It even had the leathery look of one! The shirt part of the dress was black except for a silver bat logo on my chest, kind of like the Batman logo, but smaller. I had black fingerless gloves that reached up to my shoulders, ending in a plain silver fringe.

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered as I stalked away from my reflection.

"Did you say something, Carter?" I heard Jeremy's voice come from above. I looked up, but didn't see him. He was probably back in his cushy chair near the supercomputer.

"Where are the others?" I yelled out. "You don't have to yell!" Jeremy exclaimed. "I can hear you just fine."

"Okay, then. But where are the others?" I asked again. "Right in front of you. Just head straight and you'll see them eventually."

And then I realized something. "Where are my weapons? How am I supposed to fight?" I wondered as I looked around. I checked my outfit and noticed that I had two scabbards strapped to a silver belt. I couldn't believe I didn't notice them before.

I opened one of the scabbards and took out a long, silver dagger. There was a single red ruby in the middle of the hilt that reminded me of blood. The second scabbard had the same weapon.

"There straight ahead of me, right?" I asked Jeremy as I put away the daggers.

"Yeah, and hurry up. They can't keep it for much longer," He said as I started running.

Jeremy wasn't kidding; the Lyoko warriors were in pretty bad shape. Aelita was trying to get to the tower, but a couple of what I assume to be tarantulas were blocking the way, Odd was having a tough time dodging lasers from the krabs, and Ulrich was dueling with some guy in a black leotard and an oversized sword. William, I presumed.

I didn't know how well I was going to fare with hand-to-hand combat, so I just decided to destroy the krabs by hitting their weak spot: either their soft underbelly where I could indirectly hurt the eye, or the XANA eye that was on top of their shell in a head-on attack.

_Wait. How did I know that?_

There was no time to question that. I was already heading towards the nearest krab.

It was too busy trying to hit Odd, who had an awesome purple hover board and was skillfully dodging all the lasers. No one noticed the gothic Lolita girl with a dagger pointed to the underside of one of the krabs.

I stabbed the dagger deep into the krabs underside and, just as quickly, got my dagger out. Before the krab exploded, I dove under the one next to it and did the exact same thing. I ran away towards the tarantulas as the krabs exploded.

Odd finally saw me. "Carter?" He yelled out as he maneuvered his hover board towards me. "I can't believe Einstein let you onto Lyoko!" He was now right next to me. I jumped onto his board and together we rode towards the tarantulas.

"He had to when he noticed you were being thrashed out here," I teased. "Thrashed? We nearly took out an entire army!" Odd said indignantly. "Nearly. And life points don't lie," I said as we zeroed in on XANA's pets.

"Drop me off near them. I'll take them out and you help Aelita," I ordered. Aelita was in bad shape; her life points were almost gone and she _this close_ to the tower, but the two tarantulas that were left were guarding it too well.

"You sure?" Odd asked me. I jumped off the hover board and landed near Aelita in response.

I didn't bother to stop and talk to her. I ran towards the tarantulas and their crazy powerful laser cannons in a head on attack.

And I thought William was supposed to be reckless.

The tarantulas seemed eager that such easy kill was literally running towards them. Unfortunately, I wasn't easy to get rid of.

I threw a dagger straight at the eye of the left tarantula. It couldn't defend itself as the tip dug its way its head. The other tarantula was off guard as his friend exploded.

That was enough time for me to kill it.

I threw the other dagger into its throat. It squealed in pain as it tried, to no avail, to get the dagger out. I grabbed the other dagger, the one that was lying beside the tarantula, and stabbed it in the eye.

I ran away as it exploded, its blood curling scream echoing in my ears.

Odd was with Aelita, and both were staring at me with shock and awe. "Shouldn't you go and save the day?" I asked Aelita as I came to a stop.

Aelita nodded and ran to the now open tower. "That was incredible," Odd said, staring at me with a mixture of awe and… fear?

"How's Ulrich doing with William?" I peered over Odd's shoulder and took a look at the battle.

Ulrich was losing badly. I heard Jeremy say that Ulrich had only ten life points left, and from the look of things, he was going to go out painfully.

I was right. William stabbed Ulrich in the stomach when he wasn't looking. Instead of the blood that was supposed to squirt out the wound, Ulrich disappeared in a torrent of pixels.

"What happened to Ulrich? Is he back in our world?" I asked Odd. "Yeah, but he's going to be in some serious pain." Just then, William let out a scream of hatred.

"I think he just realized where Aelita is," I said with a smile. "Something tells me we don't have to fight him today." I looked over at William again.

He had seen me. His face turned from an angry, hateful face, to something resembling fear. "No!" William's XANAfied voice screamed out. "You shouldn't be here!" And with that William turned into smoke and ran away.

"What was all that about?" Odd wanted to know. "No idea." I looked back at the tower. "So what happens now?"

"Jeremy devirtualizes us, and we get to go home," Odd answered casually as Jeremy began the process. "See you on the other side, Carter," Odd said as he became a bunch of pixels.

The same thing soon began for me. I closed my eyes and waited for it all to be over.

* * *

><p>When I opened my eyes, I was inside the scanner, fully intact and without a scratch. As soon as the doors opened, I hesitantly stepped outside to face the wrath of the Lyoko warriors.<p>

"How did you defeat all those monsters?" Yumi asked immediately. "Hello to you too," I said groggily. The trip back seemed to have wore me out, and I had a hard time walking in a straight line.

"But seriously, what you did out there was completely unbelievable," Aelita congratulated me. "Thanks, but I wish I could answer your question, Yumi," I said to the angry girl. "I have absolutely no idea how I did any of that, or know their weaknesses."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Jeremy asked. He looked as baffled as I was.

"That's just it. I feel like I did all this before: getting inside the scanner, getting onto Lyoko, terminating monsters… All of this feels so nostalgic." I stared at each and everyone one of them.

"Have I been here before?"

"The supercomputer didn't have you inside its database until now," Jeremy explained. "When I scanned you into Lyoko, your ID was created just like with Yumi's ID, or with Odd's or Ulrich's. Not only that, when you appeared on the screen, you appeared as a yellow arrow, just like everyone else. I have no explanation for any of this."

"Well that's just great," I said before I doubled over.

Pain coursed through my entire body as my vision blurred. I began to cough up blood as I fell to the floor. I could hear them calling my name in scared and panicked voices, but I couldn't talk to them, reassure them that I was all right. I felt hot tears running off my face as my throat closed in on me. My vision failed me; I was overcome by darkness within seconds.

_I'm dying, _was my final thought.

* * *

><p><em>Isn't that a frightening cliffhanger? Aren't you curious to see if she lives or not?<em>

_Fun fact: When creating Carter's fight scene, I listened to "Hit the Lights" by Metallica. It gave me the inspiration to try something badass, and it worked spectacularly. Try listening to it as you read that particular scene._

_Remember to read and review._


	5. Chapter 5: Revival of the Forgotten Past

Chapter 5: Revival of the Forgotten Past

_FINALLY! My visiting family members have finally left! Now I can write this chapter in peace!_

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p>A terrible glare blazed over my eyelids, making me wince in pain. I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, and my stirring movements seemed sluggish.<p>

"Carter! Oh thank God you're awake." Aelita's relieved voice rang out throughout the room. I turned my head over to her. She was sitting in a chair opposite me, holding a water bottle and a damp rag. She had been nursing me while I was out.

That reminds me… "How long was I out?" I asked. My voice came out scratchy and rough.

"Just a couple of hours." Aelita stood up and walked to the door. "I'll tell the others that you're up." She got out the door and walked down the hall.

I tried to get up and immediately fell back onto the bed. I was too sore to move all of my limbs. I had trouble remembering what happened after I blacked out from the pain. I remember thinking I was dying, and… nothing. Why was so sick after getting out of the scanner? Why was XANA so afraid of me? Why do I know so much about Lyoko when I had never been there before?

Or had I? I remember more clearly now, the memory of me going into that scanner at age seven. It was my uncle coaxing me into it, but he had looked haggard and unbearably sad. It probably happened sometime after my parents died. I didn't remember much else besides that.

I heard hurried footsteps outside my door, and then the door banged open. "Carter! You're alive!" I heard an exaggerated whiny voice. Definitely Odd.

I struggled to sit up. This time I succeeded. I looked out the small window. The sun was setting.

"Exactly how long was I out?" I asked again. "Almost three hours," Ulrich answered. "You wouldn't wake up no matter what we did."

"And trust us, we tried everything. Screaming into your ear, ice cubes down your back, wet willies-" Odd started.

"What? That's disgusting!" I interrupted, drying out my ears. I couldn't believe Odd would that- or maybe I should believe that.

"But more importantly, what happened to you back there?" Yumi asked, bringing the more serious topic into the conversation.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. I take it none of you had the same problem." "That's right," Jeremy confirmed. "Nothing should have happened to you when you got out of the scanner, and I checked the system for any bugs. Nothing."

"What happened after I was out?"

"After you stopped twitching, you returned to normal, albeit slowly." Jeremy pushed up his glasses, like a glasses character in an anime would.

"It was freaky. You stopped coughing up blood, color returned to face, and you slept peacefully while we hauled you over to the dorms." Odd smiled his signature grin.

"Thank you, Odd, for making me feel like a giant sack of potatoes," I mocked. Then I turned serious. "So what do we do now?"

"We know what you're going to do. You are not to step foot onto Lyoko until we have all of this figured out," Jeremy said with an air of finality.

"Normally I would agree, but..." I hesitated. "While I was asleep, I had this vision. I was eight and someone was coaxing me into a scanner. I don't think it was at the factory, but it was incredibly similar. I don't remember anything after that." I left out the part about my uncle; there was no need for them to suspect him. Yet.

"You've been to Lyoko before?" Aelita spoke up for the first time. She looked worried for me. I couldn't blame her.

"That would explain why I was able to defeat those monsters easily, or know their weak points on sight," I said, mostly to myself. "You knew their weaknesses beforehand?" Ulrich looked totally surprised.

I stared at him. "Wouldn't anyone be able to figure it out? Think about it. They have a giant eye thing in the middle of their forehead that kind of looks like a target. Wouldn't you instinctively aim for that?" The Lyoko warriors shuffled around sheepishly. They obviously had a trial and error run with XANA's monsters.

"One more thing I don't get. Why was William so afraid of you? One look at you, and he's running away with his tail between his legs." Odd was right; William's behavior had been strange, even for him.

"A bunch of questions with no answers," Ulrich mused. "Something tells me this is one of those situations where even if we find one answer, a hundred new questions come up."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Yumi said, a single hand on her hip.

"I'll run some more tests on the supercomputer just to be safe," Jeremy said. "Until then, Carter, you rest up. Let's hope XANA doesn't attack for a while."

"Maybe he was so scared after seeing Carter that he'll never bother us again," Aelita joked. Everyone laughed at that; I barely cracked a smile.

"Well, whatever. We have to go and get dinner." Odd's stomach rumbled. "And I have to get home or my parents will freak," Yumi, the day student, said.

"Do you have the strength to walk, Carter?" Aelita asked me. "Worth a shot," I said, sucking in my breath as I tried to leave the bed.

My bones creaked in agony at every movement, but I eventually got out without too much trouble. "I'm walking," I smiled, giving a weak thumbs up.

"Alrighty then, let's go!" Odd was the first out the door. Everyone soon joined him. I was about to get out as well before I accidentally kicked a box I had probably left out as I was unpacking.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later," I called out to the warriors. I began to examine the box.

It was old and battered and had a faded blue tint to it. I opened it. On the backside of the top was my old childish handwriting.

_Catherina Wilder, age 8_

Feeling nostalgic, I sorted through the old drawings I had in there. I assumed that they were pictures of my parents. After they died, my uncle got me a therapist to help through the crisis. Since I was good at drawing, she told me to draw out my feelings. They must have been those drawings.

I was so very, very wrong.

They were drawings of every sector of Lyoko: every single sector, down to the finest detail, with the occasional XANA monster in the picture. There were even drawings of a fifth part of Lyoko, some place all blue and blocky, and dangerous.

As I feverishly sorted through them all, I came across something even more disturbing.

Aelita.

I had drawn a picture of her in her Lyoko form, right before entering a tower.

And that wasn't all. Not by a long shot.

I had even drawn myself in Lyoko form, from the ponytail, to the bat symbol, even down to the daggers.

I began to hyperventilate. I was sweating profusely, and my vision blurred as another vision came upon me.

_This time I was on Lyoko, at eight years old. I was dressed the same way, but I was void of all emotion. I was in the ice sector, and monsters kept coming after me. I slayed them all, as wave upon wave of them tried to overtake me. Against all odds, I terminated all of them, with minimal damage._

_I raised my arms to the sky, and yelled out, "Are you not entertained?" I smiled wickedly as I was devirtualized by a command from above._

My vision ended. A lone tear ran down my cheek as I realized what I had just seen.

I got up quickly, spilling some drawings onto the floor on my way out. The Lyoko warriors weren't that far down the hall.

"Guys!" I called out as I ran to them. "I've been to Lyoko before today! I have proof." A moment's hesitation, and they all ran with me to my room.

The minute they realized what I meant, all hell began to break loose.

* * *

><p><em>Excited for what's next?<em>

_Once again I'm concerned about the fact about how quickly this story is progressing. Then again, I hate the idea of unnecessary fluff chapters, so I guess it's okay. Maybe I'll do an extra chapter, just for fun._

_Midterm exams are coming up for me soon, and with that the change of all new classes, so I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I'll try to get a chapter up once a week, if I can._

_I don't have to remind you to rate and review, do I?_


	6. Chapter 6: Sweet, Sweet Normalcy

Chapter 6: Sweet, Sweet Normalcy

_Unfortunately, Christmas break is coming to a close for me. That means back to school, midterm exams, and then all new classes and teachers to grow accustomed to. I probably won't be able to add any new chapters for a while. I'll try to squeeze one once a week if I can._

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p>It was officially the first day of school. It was hard to believe that just the day after my life was irreversibly changed. The very idea of going to school and just being a regular student was completely ridiculous.<p>

But without that normalcy, I would've gone insane.

And after yesterday, I needed that.

**Begin flashback**

"_Dear God," Ulrich muttered as he stared at me. I couldn't read the expression on his face. It was probably shock. They were all shocked._

_Who could blame them? _

_All I could do was stand there, sorting through some of the drawings to see if what I was seeing was true. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pretend that this was all a dream._

"_Well this just takes the fucking cake," I said, laughing silently. My laughter grew louder, a delirious laugh that one can only get after reaching the breaking point._

_Thankfully, it ended quickly, and I sobered up "What do I do now?" I asked Jeremy._

_He didn't answer at first. Then he said, "We look into this. We go to the fifth sector and see if there's anything on you there."_

"_Fifth sector? You mean the place that's all blocky and blue?" I held up a drawing of the supposed fifth sector. I didn't recall ever going to that particular sector; then again, I didn't remember much at all about going to Lyoko before today._

"_Look, today's been a long day. Let's just clean this up, go eat dinner, and pretend everything's all right. It's the first week of school; we don't need any… unnecessary stress right now. We'll run some tests after we get situated with school."_

_And like always, everyone followed Jeremy's orders to a T- at least, almost. After helping me cleanup, Aelita and the others left to go to the mess hall. I had refused to go, seeing as I didn't have much of an appetite, but Aelita dragged me along._

"_Being alone is the last thing you need right now," she told me. "Besides, after what's happened today, you're going to need the food." "If you say so," I told her, secretly glad that she made me go with her. Anymore time in that room and I would've gone insane; at least, more insane than I already was._

_After Yumi left to go home, the rest of us went to the mess hall to get dinner. The conversation was at a nil. Odd tried to lighten up the mood, but it only made it worse._

"_Today is the last time you guys get all depressed over me. I'm not worth it," I said suddenly. They looked at me in surprise. I hadn't said much since getting dinner, and I guess hearing my voice startled them._

"_We're not depressed, we just don't know what to say," Aelita explained. "Sorry if we meant something else." _

"_And what do you mean you're not worth it? You really belittle yourself, Carter," Odd said matter-of-factly. He stuffed his face full of meatloaf as if he didn't want to say anything else._

_I slammed down my fork. "Seriously, how can you eat so much?" I had seen Odd pack in nearly four servings of the oddly-colored thing the cafeteria lunch ladies called 'meatloaf', and I was starting to wonder where he put all that food._

"_Odd has a black hole in his stomach," Ulrich explained, pointing his thumb at the messy eater himself. I slapped my forehead. "That explains so much!"_

_And from there the conversation went smoothly, the entire incident with the drawings forgotten._

**End flashback**

And now it was officially the first day of school. I was in first hour English class and I was supposed to be listening to the teacher, but really, I knew English, so I really didn't have to listen that much. All I had to know was how strict he was at grading papers.

I shared this class with Ulrich and unfortunately Sissi. Luckily I was sitting next to Ulrich and not the queen of mean, who I was sure was sending hateful glares my way.

The morning passed by quickly, with me actually understanding the French that was being spoken, one of the greatest fears a traveler gets when entering a foreign country.

I really liked the ancient Greek class, which was just before lunch. We were going to start off with Greek mythology and then go on to ancient Greek culture. It was going to be a great class.

At lunch I met up with the gang, like yesterday. Today everyone was in better spirits, though they all complained about their classes.

And of course Sissi just had to come along and ruin the fun.

"Well, well, glad to see the new girl getting along with her new freaky friends," Sissi said with her usual smugness.

"I was right." I continued eating the baked fish that I was served earlier.

"Right about what?" Sissi asked, a confused look taking over her smirk.

"You're so far up your own ass that you can't even remember someone's name."

Odd snorted into his drink at my statement. Ulrich and Yumi were overcome with a strong fit of laughter, while Jeremy and Aelita tried to hide their snickering behind their hands.

Even Sissi's cronies were laughing at her. One was a short, pimply kid with an outdated hairstyle and a mean attitude, while the other was a blond jock with a constant confused expression on his face.

"Shut up!" Sissi screeched at her so-called friends. They immediately stopped their annoying giggling. And then she reared her ugly head back to me.

"You think you're so funny, don't you," Sissi started, her smug look beginning to come back.

"That's because I'm funny, kind of like your face right now."

Sissi burned red as everyone at the table roared with laughter. I think she said something like, "I'm going to tell my father about you!" before she stalked off, her little followers scurrying after her. I honestly couldn't hear over the laughter.

"You're all right, Carter," Yumi approved, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Yeah! Next time Sissi comes around we have to sic you on her," Jeremy said, wiping his foggy glasses (they probably fogged up when he was laughing).

"Oh, so I'm a dog now?" Everyone at the table sobered up as Jeremy tried to cover up his fumble.

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that," He stuttered as he caught sight of my expression.

I mimed a gun going off in his face with my hand, complete with a light popping noise. "Gotcha," I smiled.

And once again, everyone began to laugh. The rest of the day was blissfully normal.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, when I was doing the three hours work of homework assigned to all French kids, Aelita was on the internet, looking up new songs created by the Subdigitals. "You really like that band, don't you?" I asked her, taking a break from the workload.<p>

"Yeah. I hear they might be having an audition for a new DJ here at the academy," she said, smiling. No doubt she was imagining her audition, and owning it too.

"Something tells me you'd win," I said encouragingly. Aelita the DJ. It had a nice ring to it.

"When you get famous and have your alums, I want to be the one who designs them," I said suddenly. I had the perfect covers already in my head.

"That's only when I become famous." Aelita said, smirking at the thought.

"It's a promise, then."

"Now tell me how you did your homework so fast," I said enviously. I looked over at my homework like it was a great behemoth looming over the world-or in this case, my desk.

Aelita laughed and began to help me with my math homework. We laughed and talked, and the great behemoth of homework was reduced to a few pieces of lined paper.

"You're a fast learner," Aelita congratulated me. "That's because I had such a great tutor. And the fact that I got here on a scholarship may have helped a little." I shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Really, a scholarship? No wonder you learned everything so fast." She turned her attention to the picture of my parents, the one that was on my desk. It was their wedding picture.

"Are these your parents? You look so much like them."

"My uncle did say that I was their perfect child. Then again, when he said it, he only visited a couple times a year and didn't know who I really was until it was too late." I smiled at the memory.

"Why, were you a devil?" Aelita smirked, but not in a bad way.

"You can say that," I smirked back.

Soon it was time for dinner and even more conversation came forth. I was no longer putting up a front; I was talking animatedly and everyone was happy.

Of course it had to end. Remember when I said earlier that hell was beginning to break loose?

Despite everything, despite the happiness and smiles, a darkness loomed over, and it was about to suffocate me and everyone I cared about.

And there was no way to escape it.

* * *

><p><em>And so ends another chapter. Since I'm about to get very busy very soon, I probably won't be able to get to writing anytime soon. I will definitely try to get a chapter up once a week, but don't get your hopes up.<em>

_**This story is not on hiatus.**__ Read that again if you don't believe me._

_Before the insanity began, I wanted to elaborate a little more on Carter's character and how she was dealing with all of this. The characters completely took over this chapter, leaving me with no say. But I'm not complaining. _

_Before I go, I want to thank everyone who actually reviewed this story. You gave me confidence in my writing abilities and now I have a reason to continue writing. For you guys._

…_That sounded like a good-bye. It's not. Trust me._


	7. Chapter 7: Bloodthirsty

Chapter 7: Bloodthirsty

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p>An entire week had gone by without a single XANA attack. A normal, blissfully stressful school week. I was happy that there was no sudden danger lurking; the others were freaking out. Apparently, if XANA doesn't respond after a while, that means he's planning something big.<p>

I also found out about the William clone. To replace the XANAfied William, Jeremy created a clone to temporarily replace the original. The clone took everything in the literal sense, becoming a great source of comic relief among the student body.

I honestly felt sorry for the doppelganger.

"Can't you create a smarter William clone?" I asked Jeremy as the gang and I sat down in the library for study hall. "I would, but there's no telling how long it would take and we need more computer memory for it… and you're not going to understand a single word I say anyway, so I won't bother explaining it. The point is, I can't." And with that, Jeremy opened his laptop and got to working on whatever it was he was working on.

After about ten minutes or so, Jeremy's computer started beeping. I looked up from my Italian homework. Jeremy looked at me and mouthed "XANA attack."

Just then, the lights went out.

Jim Morales, who had just been taking a nap, immediately sprang to attention. "Okay, everyone out single file." He started to direct everyone to the closest exit. Odd, Aelita and Ulrich looked at me. I knew what they were thinking.

"I won't go onto Lyoko. Not unless I absolutely have to," I whispered as the five of us got up. "Not even then," Odd muttered under his breath.

As the class walked outside, we noticed that the library wasn't the only building out of electricity. Every single building was dark and gloomy, and the students in there were also walking onto the campus.

Thunder boomed in the distance. Lightning flashed in the dark clouds overhead, lighting the school in a threatening way.

"Something tells me XANA pulled out all the stops this time," I muttered, searching the crowd for Yumi. I almost missed the tall girl running towards us.

"Do you think you can sneak out to the factory?" I asked them all as we joined up.

"We'll find a way. What will you do?" Aelita asked me, concerned at the predicament I was in. I wanted to help, but after what happened last time…

"It's not like I can get onto Lyoko. I'll just stay here and cover for you. Now go!" I started pushing Ulrich and Jeremy towards the forest. They got the message, but before they could run off, lightning struck near me.

It missed me by several feet, thankfully not hitting anyone, but it was still terrifying. It had struck close to the forest.

"It's not safe to use the forest now," Jeremy said, fear mounting in his voice. It was hard to hear him over the screaming of the other students who saw the lightning strike.

Jim and principle Delmas tried to calm the students and directed them into the main building for their own safety.

Just then, another lightning strike flashed, this time closer to me.

XANA had impeccable timing.

The other students ran to the main building, screaming and pushing each other out of the way to get to safety.

I looked back at the sky. I could've sworn I was seeing the sneering face of XANA up there.

I ran towards the forest. I had a sneaking suspicion that the storm was after me.

I hated being right.

Another lightning strike struck right behind me, sending me three feet in the air. Luckily, I had caught enough air to land on my feet.

"Carter!" I heard Yumi scream behind me.

"XANA's after me! I'll distract him while you guys deactivate the tower!" I didn't give them a chance to respond. I ran straight into the forest.

"What do we do?" Ulrich asked Jeremy. He looked at the retreating back of his friend.

"We deactivate the tower. Come on, let's go!" And instantly, the original five Lyoko warriors ran to the secret manhole covering in the forest near Kadic.

Odd remembered XANA's reaction to Carter on Lyoko. He could only imagine the amount of trouble his friend was in.

They absolutely had to deactivate the tower now. If Odd's suspicions were correct, then Carter was in serious danger.

* * *

><p>I have never been a very fast runner. That was why I never tried out for track. The fact that I was wearing flip-flops did not help the matter.<p>

But this time, I was running for my life. And that made up all the difference.

I soon stood upon an unfamiliar crossways. I was completely out of breath. Sweat trickled down my brow as I waited for XANA to strike.

Just before lighting hit me, I dodged to the left. And from there, I just kept running wildly until I literally crashed into an old gate.

The sign said the Hermitage. A dirt path led up to an old, abandoned house that looked like no one had lived there in years.

It was a perfect hiding spot.

The gates were unlocked. I sprinted to the front door and threw the door open.

I was welcomed by a gloomy and dusty presence.

The entire interior of the house looked like it had been ransacked. I walked slowly to the living room. It was probably a nice place before being deserted, a quiet place to have a family, away from the cries of the city.

I looked at the piano in the corner. And my vision began to blur.

_Oh, not again._

* * *

><p><em>This time, I was a little girl, no more than six. My parents were in the living room, chatting with a guy with dark, round sunglasses and a gray, scruffy beard. <em>

_Aelita was there too. She led me by the hand up to her room, and together we played with dolls, told stories to one another, and basically acted like all little kids should._

_Then I heard yelling. My dad threw open Aelita's bedroom door with an angry look on his face. He never had that look on his face. _

_He said we were leaving. He grabbed my arm roughly and raced down the hallway. My mother was already in the car. Soon, we were far away from the Hermitage._

_The last thing I saw was Aelita's crying face._

* * *

><p>The vision ended. This time I wasn't crying. More like, I was seriously confused.<p>

From what Jeremy had told me, Aelita was trapped in the supercomputer for ten years. There was no way I could've been alive when she was six.

...Unless I had been trapped in a virtual world as well.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There was no proof of that. I stood up and dusted myself off. I didn't even remember kneeling down, but that wasn't the point.

I wanted to continue my expedition of the rest of the house for more clues. Unfortunately, as I turned to the door, I saw the sneering face of William. And I don't mean the William clone; I mean the dark, evil, possessed William who was dressed like he was on Lyoko.

"You shouldn't be alive, soldier," his possessed voice echoed throughout the living room.

"Soldier? I'm not in the military," was my stupid response.

William's sneer got even wider. "You've forgotten the project? That's probably a good thing. You wouldn't want to remember all those painful memories."

He was goading me. And he was doing a good job of doing it too.

"Tell me what you know about that!" I yelled angrily. I didn't care if I was alone with a possessed psycho or that he had an oversized sword in his hand. I wanted answers.

"You don't want to remember any of that."

"Like how do destroy you?"

My little bluff worked. For just a single moment, a look of fear passed over William's face. That was all I needed.

I falcon punched William right in the kisser. He grasped his nose in pain, completely off guard. I knocked his sword out of his hand before running out of the room.

But William recovered quickly. He turned into smoke and materialized right in front of me. He punched me hard in the gut, the sheer force of it knocking me right back into the living room.

I crashed to the ground, curling myself up into a little ball. The pain was almost as bad as when I got out of the scanner a week ago.

"You never should have left San Diego, you fool," William said as he raised his sword.

And that was when the shit literally hit the fan.

* * *

><p>Without so much as flinching, I somehow pushed William away from me, knocking away his weapon out of the way again.<p>

The pain in my gut was ebbing away, and power coursed through my veins. I stood up and swiped the air. Out of nowhere, both of my daggers appeared.

Something had taken over my body. I instinctively knew how to fight William, even in the real world. But something told me I shouldn't question it.

I didn't want to. The power… it was just so intoxicating.

Before William could get his precious weapon, I stomped on his stomach. He let out a hiss of pain as he looked at me. Something frightened him, and he became desperate.

He kicked my legs away and tried to defeat me barehanded.

Big mistake.

I stabbed William in the arm with one of my daggers. Instead of blood, a small burst of electricity grazed the wound. Nevertheless, William screamed in pain.

I punched him again in the face. His body crashed into the wall. He tried to get up again, but I wouldn't let him. I stomped on his legs and stabbed him in the stomach. William began to flail his arms, trying to desperately punch me where he could. It was pathetic, really.

I stabbed his arms again to make sure he couldn'tdo that. After a bit of struggling, he just laid there, weak. He glared at me with eyes full of hate.

I smiled gleefully back at him. I was right on top of him, both of my daggers directly aimed over his head. I laughed as I was about to deliver the final blow.

I never got a chance to.

A blinding white light flashed over the two of us, searing my eyes and sending me back in time.

_So this is returning to the past,_ I thought calmly as I was carried away.

When I opened my eyes, it nighttime. I was back in my bed, and the clock read ten in the evening. It was the night before.

I desperately prayed that what had just happened had been a horrible nightmare.

Of course it wasn't.

* * *

><p><em>Was that a freaky chapter or what? Was it worth waiting a week for?<em>

_It does suck that I couldn't really put more quality into this. Thanks to exams and school, I have no time to really think about the next chapter._

_Then again, I'm a writer. I'll think of something._


	8. Chapter 8: Back to Lyoko

Chapter 8: Back to Lyoko

_From the way things look, I'll probably only be able to add new chapters on Fridays. Thanks for waiting for the next one._

_I own nothing except the story and Carter. _

* * *

><p>I shot out of bed. Electricity ran through my veins, and I was sweating profusely, like I just woke up from a nightmare. It certainly felt like a nightmare.<p>

Aelita, in the next bed, looked at me in concern. "Are you okay, Carter? What did XANA do to you?"

I turned to her. "Was William on Lyoko?"

Aelita seemed taken aback. "No." And then it dawned on her. "XANA sent William into the real world?"

"You mean he never did that before?"

"We have to tell Jeremy." Aelita immediately got out of bed and walked to the door. "You coming?"

"Like this?" I got out of bed and showed her my sleep attire: a tight black t-shirt with a yellow Batman insignia, and tiny yellow shorts with a tiny black Batman logo on the left leg.

Aelita got my drift. "Put a jacket on over yourself." "And you?" I pointed to her outfit: a simple oversized pink t-shirt with a capital letter A on it. That was it.

"I've always talked to Jeremy like this at night," Aelita shrugged, like it was no big deal.

I stared at her. I mean, seriously? No one told her that was a bad idea? Guys could get the wrong idea… Then again, this was Jeremy we were talking about. He couldn't make a move for the life of him.

"All right, let's go," I said grudgingly. I grabbed my favorite black jacket and together we crept out the door and down the hall. No one, not even Jim, was out on patrol. We walked down to the second floor, and Aelita knocked on Jeremy's door.

He opened it up. He was still wearing his blue sweater and tan pants instead of pajamas. Did he ever sleep?

"Aelita, Carter, what's wrong?" He asked us, surprised that we were even down here.

"XANA can send people to the real world," I said bluntly.

"What?" I heard a gasp behind us. We turned to see Ulrich and Odd, both shirtless and wearing only boxer shorts, with a towel over their shoulders. They had most likely just taken showers.

Suddenly, I was really glad I was wearing a jacket.

I felt a blush creep over my face as I averted my eyes. Now, don't get me wrong; I was used to seeing my uncle without a shirt on the beach, or when he got out of the shower. But he was my _uncle._ Ulrich and Odd were what, fifteen? That was way too different.

"You two. Go to your rooms and put on a shirt." I gritted my teeth and tried to keep my red face a secret.

Odd and Ulrich stared at me with faces that said, _What are you talking about?_

"Guys," Jeremy intervened. "Look down."

They did so, and immediately understood what I was getting at. They blushed scarlet and stumbled over each other to get to their room.

"Thank you," I said kindly to Jeremy. "No problem. Now what's this about William?"

"I'll tell you when the guys get back. I don't want to repeat myself." I looked around. "Do you think we could come in? I don't want Jim to catch us out here."

"Step right in." Jeremy stood off to the side and led us in. His room was small and built for one person. His bookshelf had books about science and boxes full of robot parts. Over his bed was a poster of Albert Einstein, and he had a computer on his desk by the window.

Aelita immediately made herself at home, sitting on the bed. I sat down beside her, and the three of us waited for the other two.

After five minutes or so, someone knocked on the door. It was Ulrich and Odd, both now in t-shirts, thankfully.

"Okay. So what's this about William?" Ulrich asked, saying almost the exact same thing as Jeremy did.

"XANA can know send people to the real world," I said again, and then I launched into my terrible story. I saw as everyone's eyes grew wide. Odd's jaw dropped; Aelita turned pale at the idea of the two of us possibly knowing each other. Ulrich couldn't look me in the eyes, and Jeremy put his head in his hand.

"So what happens now?" I asked him. Jeremy finally looked up. I wished he hadn't. He looked ten years older, and his shoulders sagged as if the entire world was on his shoulders. He was the one who was supposed to know everything; that had to be a lot of pressure.

"You said you knew Aelita when you two were kids, right?" Ulrich said suddenly.

"Yeah…" I could already guess where he was going.

"So that means maybe you were trapped in a world like Lyoko for ten years or so."

"I don't think it was Lyoko." Everyone looked at Jeremy. "If she was on Lyoko, then the supercomputer would've recognized her."

"Do you think there are other Lyokos?" Aelita suddenly asked. Hearing her voice came as a surprise; she had been more or less silent the entire time.

"I don't know," Jeremy admitted. "But if XANA could send William back to the real world, maybe he could send him to the other supercomputer that held Carter."

"And from the way XANA's been acting, I'd say he really wants to get rid of you," Ulrich added unhelpfully.

"Looks like I have to find a way to send you guys through the Internet," Jeremy said. He got up to go to his computer.

"Oh, no, you don't." I glared at him. "You can start tomorrow. You will shut off that computer, and you will go to bed tonight."

"But-"

"You _will_ go to bed." He nodded his head after seeing my glare.

"Wait... Do you think there's information on you in Sector Five?" Aelita thought out loud.

"No idea. It's worth a shot." Something occurred to me. "Does that mean I have to go back to Lyoko?"

"Yeah, probably," Jeremy said, thinking about it.

"Oh, no. She is not going back there. Don't you guys remember what happened to her after she got out of the scanner? She nearly died! What if that happens again? What if she really dies this time?" Odd yelled at them. I've never seen him raise his voice like that. It made me remember the vision with my dad, how he also never raised his voice. I shivered at the thought of that.

My friends didn't notice. "He has a point," Ulrich agreed. "But what if she gets an immunity over time?"

"What if she doesn't?"

I raised my hand like we were in class and the teacher was asking a question. "Can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?" The two of them immediately fell silent.

"What do you want to do?" Aelita asked me.

I thought about it. What if Aelita was right? Was there information on Sector Five about me? It wasn't like these guys never went there before… But the idea of getting back on Lyoko appealed to me. It was fun before; Kind of like a video game where you were the player fighting the bad guy, not some two-dimensional avatar you had to create. And who knows, maybe I would get an immunity after a while.

"I'll go to Sector Five." Odd began to protest, but I cut him off. "Ulrich has a point. I might get some sort of immunity over time, and we won't know if I haven't been devirtualized. And we should definitely check Sector Five, just to be safe." I then thought of something that would seal my argument. "Besides, I don't think XANA knows about what'll happen to me after I've been devirtualized. If he finds out, he could launch another attack on me when I'm comatose. And if I don't get onto Lyoko from time to time, he might get suspicious."

Odd didn't say anything; he knew me well enough not to question me when I was like this. Aelita looked at me sadly, like she knew what was going to happen to me.

"All right, then. We'll test it out tomorrow. Let's get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." And with that, Jeremy kicked us all out of the room.

Odd took one look at me and ran down the hall, not caring if Jim caught him. Ulrich looked at him, then to me, and back to Odd. He then ran off to his scrawny friend.

"Come on," Aelita said, and started towards the staircase. I followed her up the stairs and back to our room. I threw my jacket onto my desk chair and climbed into bed. "Good night," I whispered to Aelita.

"Night," she said, before I heard her softly snoring. Unlike her, I couldn't really fall asleep. My mind kept racing with unanswered questions. I don't even know when I closed my eyes.

* * *

><p>The next day was basically Friday all over again, with me taking a shower bright and early, when the sun was barely up (I hated waiting in line to take a shower. I mean, who wants to do that?). Then, when I got back to the room, I blowed my hair dry with my hairdryer, and got dressed. But instead of jeans, flip flops, and a Metallica shirt, I decided to switch it up with new skinny jeans, sneakers, and a moss colored sweater that my uncle gave to me when he it got too small for him. It was a special army sweater, made with material that kept me warm when it was winter and kept me cool when it was hot out.<p>

Aelita looked at me and said, "What kind of shirt is that?" not unkindly. "Something my uncle gave me," I said simply. I walked to the door. "You coming?" I copied her from last night. Aelita smirked. I was glad that she wasn't showing her pity for me.

Together, we went down to breakfast. The guys were already there. Jeremy and Ulrich smiled and waved to show us where they were in line; Odd looked at me once and looked away. He was probably still mad from last night.

At the table, Aelita, Jeremy, and Ulrich and I talked about the same things as yesterday. Only Odd was sulking into his hot chocolate. I knew he cared about me as a friend, but the others didn't let their real emotions show. Why couldn't he do that?

The rest of the day passed just like yesterday did, minus the XANA-lightning storm. Soon school was over, and the gang and I were on our way to the factory.

Yumi had been filled in earlier about what was going on, and like Odd, she wasn't happy about it. Unlike Odd, she wasn't yelling at me or anything. She was calmly trying to change my mind. "Think about this, Carter," she began.

Like Odd, I cut her off. "I thought about it, and it still didn't change my mind." I pulled open the manhole in the forest and began my descent into the darkness. Yumi followed me, exasperated.

After ten minutes of riding on skateboards (Jeremy had a scooter), we rolled towards the manhole that was under the bridge leading to the factory.

* * *

><p>I was now in the scanner room, waiting for Jeremy to start the virtualization process. "Last chance to change your mind, Carter," Ulrich told me in the scanner next to me.<p>

"Let her rip, Jeremy!" I grinned as the doors closed. I didn't catch Odd's expression when I did. It was probably a glare.

I closed my eyes as Jeremy did the procedure. After a few seconds, a searing light flew over my eyes, lifting me out of my body.

I opened my eyes and once again saw that I was twenty feet in the air. This time I landed on my feet. Ulrich and Aelita followed suit. We waited as Odd and Yumi virtualized onto the forest sector.

We were at a clearing overlooking the virtual sea. Jeremy typed in the password SCIPIO, and soon our ride, a giant white ball with a blue XANA logo on it, appeared. It sucked us in, and soon we were in a giant blue chamber.

Odd grumbled something about his stomach. The transport didn't agree with him. The chamber stopped rotating and a door appeared. We all ran through it into a even bigger blue chamber full of blue boxes.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"We try to hit the reset button over there." Aelita pointed to a key over to the side. "Then what are we waiting for?" I said, walking onto a cube in that general direction.

"No!" "Wait!" The gang warned me as the blue cubes began to move. In an instant, I was catapulted up into the air. "We didn't want to set off the traps," Jeremy answered too late.

"Thanks, Einstein," I grumbled. The other boxes began to grow and shrink, and what would a trap be if it didn't have monsters?

The slimy critters Aelita called creepers where firing lasers out of their mouths, and since I was away from my friends, I was easy bait.

But not for long.

I felt the power surge through me. I ran as fast as I could towards the key. I jumped to the next cube, which was going up. The creepers tried to shoot me, but I was too fast.

I heard the others lay into those things as I ran to the key. I didn't know how much time I had, but it was enough. I pushed the key in, and the entire trap fell away.

"Something tells me that was too easy," I muttered to myself as the next doorway opened up. I ran, and was soon on a platform outside Sector Five. I waited for the others catch up.

"On three, jump!" Yumi ordered for my benefit. The elevator zoomed by, and the five of us jumped onto the elevator, which looked more like a platform if you asked me.

In a few seconds, we jumped off and landed on a different platform. Aelita took it from there. A screen appeared and she sorted through all the information for anything about me. William hadn't shown up yet.

A shame it couldn't last longer.

Manatee creatures soon came upon us, and from the way the others reacted, they seemed to be bad news. Jeremy virtualized the hover board and over bike, and Odd and Ulrich rode away to fight the monsters. Yumi and I stayed behind to protect Aelita.

And what's a party without the host?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glint of metal. I deflected William's attack just in time. My crossed daggers held his sword in position while I tried to stop him in his tracks.

Yumi flung a fan at William's head, but he was able to deflect it in time. He didn't bother getting rid of Aelita or Yumi. He was only aiming at me.

Odd and Ulrich couldn't do anything. XANA had sent more manatees for them to play with. William was once again aiming at me. I tried to lead him to the edge, away from Aelita and Yumi.

They took the hint. Aelita kept trying to get information while Yumi aimed another fan at William's head. This time he didn't deflect it.

As he tried to recover, I tried to thrust one of my daggers into a body part.

It wasn't the best idea.

William used some sort of energy beam and shot it at me. It sent me teetering to the edge of the platform. My daggers had flown out of my hands and landed near Yumi. But before she could give them to me, William sent another energy blast my way, sending me over the edge.

Odd saw, and immediately tried to come to my rescue, but a manatee shot at him, destroying his life points and sending him back to the real world. Ulrich soon destroyed the two manatees and quickly rode towards me, as I screamed uselessly into the abyss.

* * *

><p><em>I thought I'd end it there for now. Sorry about the battle scenes. I didn't have the willpower to create better ones; all the studying I've done for the exams is taking its toll on me.<em>

_Luckily, Friday next week is the end of exams. I should be able to come up with something better by then. Stay 'tuned._


	9. Chapter 9: How He Really Feels

Chapter 9: How He Really Feels

_I have no school today, meaning I can squeeze in a short chapter before Friday. I thought that I might try telling this chapter from different perspectives, see how it works. Hopefully, it'll go well._

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p><strong>Carter<strong>

Ulrich got to me in time, before I fell into God-knows-what. Together we rode to the top, where Yumi was fighting William and Aelita was still gathering information.

"I have an idea," I told Ulrich. "Slam your over bike into William on the platform."

"And we jump onto the platform?"

"Yeah. Gang way!" I shouted. Yumi saw what we were doing and dodged out of the way. William, who had his back to us, was knocked into the abyss by the over bike. I could hear his angry screams as Ulrich and I landed safely near Yumi and Aelita.

"Awesome plan," Ulrich stated as he high-fived me. I could tell he enjoyed that more than I did.

"Aelita, you got everything?" I asked her. She was still at that screen. It was as if she hadn't noticed all the action behind her.

Aelita soon finished. "Got it. I'm sending it over to you right now, Jeremy." "Got it," his voice from above said. I had to actually stop myself from looking up. "Does he always stay so quiet during missions?"

"More or less," Yumi answered. "Does this mean we get devirtualized now?" I asked like a complete noob.

"We're done here, so yes," Aelita said as she was getting devirtualized herself. Yumi and Ulrich soon followed. I was the last one on that platform. I took one last look at Sector Five. I still couldn't remember anything about my past or of this place.

Then I closed my eyes as I was devirtualized.

* * *

><p>I then remembered the worst part of being devirtualized: even if you hadn't been attacked, it still took a lot out of you. I staggered out of the scanner when the doors opened.<p>

The others were looking at me as I regained my composure. They were waiting for me to go into a painful coma again. So far I didn't feel any pain.

"Are you guys going to keep staring at me or what?" I asked them, not really angry. I mean, they were just looking out for me, but still.

"We're just waiting to see what happens, that's all," Jeremy said, holding his hands up like he was telling me to calm down.

I started to walk to the elevator. "Where are you going?" Aelita asked.

"Oh, I figured that if I was going to faint and all, I thought I'd save you guys the trouble of having to carry me out of here." I opened the elevator doors.

The others soon followed me, and the doors slid shut. We all waited while the elevator when to the computer room. The others were still looking at me like I was about to faint. They had every right to do so.

It wasn't until I was situated near the super computer when I felt the sharp pain in my gut. I doubled over, gasping for breath… but it wasn't as bad as before. Sure, it still hurt like hell, but I wasn't crying, and my throat wasn't closing in on my either. But I still blacked out, just the same.

* * *

><p>My eyes blinked open, and I saw the blue light of the super computer in the distance. Yumi was just over me, holding an open bottle water as she splashed water over my face.<p>

That woke me up. "Hey!" I spluttered as water flowed into my nose.

"She's awake!" Yumi cried to the others, who looked like they just had an argument.

"She is? But that wasn't even ten minutes!" Aelita said, holding up a stop watch. "Nice to see you too," I said groggily. I tried to blow the water out of my nose.

"We figured you'd be out much longer than that," Yumi explained as she helped me out. My bones felt unimaginably sore, but they weren't creaking like before. I didn't have trouble getting up on my own two feet this time.

"So how do you feel?" Jeremy asked me, like he was a doctor.

"Like crap, but not as bad as the last time. And when I doubled over like that, it wasn't as painful. I think I'm getting an immunity," I smiled victoriously. Everyone except Odd and Jeremy returned my smile. Odd still looked worried; Jeremy had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Something wrong, Jeremy?" Aelita had noticed it, too. "I'm just wondering why it was so much shorter this time around. Even if she did have an immunity, the recovery process shouldn't have happened this quickly."

"You're talking like I'm fully healed," I muttered, clutching my stomach. The pain from earlier still hadn't gone away there.

"Hopefully we'll find something with all the information we got," Odd said. He didn't look worried as before; the small smile on his face was an indication of that.

"I'll check everything out tonight. You guys go back to school. I'll stay here and sort through it all." And with that, Jeremy sat back down in his computer seat and got to work.

"I'll stay with him. That way everything goes much faster." Aelita turned to join him.

"Okay. But I better see you guys at dinner, or Odd will eat both of your portions," I warned them. They acted like they couldn't hear me.

The rest of us left the factory. Odd and Ulrich had to hurry back to make it for soccer practice, so it was just me and Yumi. She had left her stuff at school, so she was walking back with me.

"Are you sure you're able to walk?" Yumi asked me when we were in the sewers. The guys had left us behind already.

"Yes. Yes I am," I answered curtly as I grabbed my skateboard. Then I turned to her, a question weighing on my mind. "What's with Odd? Don't you think he's being overly protective of me?"

Yumi looked at me like I was stupid. "You seriously can't tell?"

"Not really, no."

She sighed, and began to explain. "I'm pretty sure the reason why he's being so protective is because he has a major crush on you."

I stared at her in disbelief. "A crush? On me? But we've only known each other for a week!"

"Does that really matter?" Yumi smirked.

"But hasn't he dated, like, almost every girl in this school?" I could remember some kids in my Ancient Greek class telling me about him, like how he had dated two girls at once, and how he dated every girl in the eighth grade. I knew he was a great friend, but a boyfriend? Not so much.

"Look, I don't like how Odd chases after girls, but I really think he cares about you. Or as much as a guy can in a week."

"Well, yeah. I mean, all the signs had been pretty obvious," I admitted. "But I'm still getting used to France and this school, and don't forget all that other extra baggage we've had to deal with because of me. It wouldn't be smart to get in a relationship, especially now."

"I totally agree," Yumi said encouragingly. 'I just hope Odd gets that, too."

**Odd**

"I'm telling you, Odd, you shouldn't go through with this." Ulrich and Odd were now in soccer uniforms, on the bench with their teammates as Jim, their soccer coach, was rambling on about how soccer saved his life. Or something. No one really knew what Jim was talking.

"Why not? You said last night that I should tell Carter how I feel." Odd could still remember the conversation.

**Begin Flashback**

_Odd was back in his room after running away from Carter and the others. He had left the door open for Ulrich, and he was now laying on his bed, clutching Kiwi like a life preserver._

_Ulrich walked into the room. "Could you be any more immature?" he asked him as he sat on his own bed. He looked over at Odd, who had still not acknowledged his friend._

"…_You really like her, don't you?"_

"_I guess so. I mean, she's totally cool, we have a lot in common, and she's pretty. But she is also the most stubborn person I've ever met." Odd had let go of Kiwi and was now squeezing his pillow like he was trying to strangle someone. Thankfully, he didn't do that to Kiwi._

"_Of course she's stubborn. She doesn't strike me as the sort of person who wants people to protect her from everything, us included. And besides, a lot of weird stuff has happened to her lately. Of course she wants answers, and she put up a pretty good argument back there." _

_Odd sighed and put the pillow down. "I get all of that, really. But why does she want to go back to Lyoko? Okay, it's a totally cool place with monsters and bad guys and stuff. It's reasonable to be interested in that. But what if XANA tries to kill her again? What is she dies anyway after getting devirtualized? Does she really get what's going on?"_

"_I think you should stop with all the what-ifs. If something does happen to her, we'll be right there to help her." Odd wasn't looking at him. "I also think you give Carter way too little credit. She's smart; she knows the dangers of going back to Lyoko and discovering everything about her past. She knows someone's after her, and she's not going to let someone stop her from getting those memories back."_

_Now Odd was looking at him. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense. But what if she dies? I won't be able to ask her out then."_

_Ulrich sighed and thought about it. "If you're that worried about it, then tell her how you feel, but don't ask her out. I mean, with all that's been happening, going out with anyone is the last thing on her mind. If you really want to tell her, then tell her so that you don't have any regrets later. But don't expect her to immediately agree to a date, okay?"_

"_Okay. You're a good friend, Ulrich." Odd smiled before settling down to bed. "Of course I am. Now good night." _

**End flashback**

"That was to make you feel better! Besides, what your doing is asking her out. I'm telling you, she won't go for it." And then Ulrich remembered something. "What about Sam? Did you forget about her?"

Odd's voice lowered to a whisper. He didn't want to get detected by Jim, who was still rambling on about something or other. "She found someone else. And besides, it was a long distance relationship. Those things don't work out!"

Ulrich looked at him straight in the eye. "You live in Italy. She lives in America. Even if you two get together and last the school year, she'll eventually have to go back. That's technically a long distance relationship right there."

Odd's shoulders slumped as Ulrich's reason ruined his plans. "I'm still going to tell her how I feel though," he grumbled as Jim blew his whistle and ordered the team to start practicing.

The practice began. Ulrich was leading with the soccer ball in his path, and he was dominating the entire field. Odd ran to the enemy goal post and kept his eyes on the game. His mind was somewhere else.

He kept thinking about Carter. Odd knew without a doubt that she would reject him, but like Ulrich had said last night, he didn't want any regrets.

Ulrich was having trouble kicking the ball into the goalpost. Odd was open. He kicked the ball in Odd's general direction, and then he took over.

Odd zoomed past the other team. He kept thinking about Carter despite everything. He didn't know what would happen in the near future, or how it would affect everyone, especially _her_.

Odd was now directly in front of the goalpost. The goalie looked scared as he saw Odd's determined expression. Odd kicked the ball with everything he had; the soccer ball flew into the net beside the goalie's head. The goalie didn't know what had almost hit him.

Another thing the goalie didn't know: with that kick, Odd had made up his mind. He tell Carter everything as soon as they were alone together, and he would make sure that the peaceful days they still had together were the best either of them would ever have.

His decision was sealed.

* * *

><p><em>I took the liberty to expand on the love lives on some of my characters for this chapter. Yeah, it's another OddxOC pairing…<em>

_I have to go back to studying for exams. See you guys Friday. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I had enjoyed making it._

_Also, thanks to LyokoWarrior915. I'm going to need all the luck I can get on those exams._


	10. Chapter 10: Codes and Confessions

Chapter 10: Codes and Confessions

_FINALLY! My exams are over! I can work on this again!._

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p>It was the next day. We were all at breakfast, and Jeremy and Aelita, despite all the work they put into it, hadn't come up with anything.<p>

"Don't worry about it. Take your time," I said reassuringly. "More importantly, I think you should think of a way to send people into the real world. That way we can stop whatever XANA is planning."

"Then again, ever since you came into the picture, he hasn't really put all that much effort into whatever evil scheme he came up with," Ulrich noted thoughtfully.

"That's a good point," Odd mumbled. He had once again shoveled bacon and eggs into his mouth, making it almost impossible to understand him.

"Odd, chew your food. You'll choke on it if you don't," I scolded him before taking a bite out of my food.

He swallowed noisily and said "Yes, mom." I smirked at that.

If what Yumi said was true, about Odd having a crush on me, then he was doing a great job of hiding it. No doubt he was planning to ask me out later.

"Carter does have a point, though. We should really work on sending people through the Internet," Aelita said. "I'll sort through the files while you work on it. That way we don't lose time on either." She said all of that before Jeremy could even protest. Jeremy had no choice but to oblige.

"Tell me, guys, what do normal kids around here do for fun?" I asked suddenly. Everyone looked at me. "We hang out in the city mostly," Ulrich said. Then he realized what I was getting at. "That's right. You've never really seen Paris before."

"Well, I've seen what my grandparents wanted me to see, but I want to see it from a kids' view." My grandparents didn't really get what was so important about that, but then again, they hadn't been young in a while.

"Then allow me and Ulrich to escort you around," Odd said, like he was a tour guide. "Cool. I'll call Yumi and see if she can come." Ulrich already had his cell phone on.

"What about you guys?" I turned to the geniuses. They looked at each other, and some sort of understanding passed between them. "I really think working on those files and Internet virtualization is important…" Jeremy began, but Aelita cut him off.

"But after an entire night of that, a little break couldn't hurt." Aelita grinned at me. She really knew how to control Jeremy.

"Okay, why not? A couple of hours won't hurt anyone," Jeremy said happily.

He was very wrong.

* * *

><p>We were all waiting for Yumi outside of the school gates after breakfast. "So, Carter, do you have any place in mind that you want to go first?" Jeremy asked me as we waited.<p>

"Not really. I just want to see where normal high school students around here do for fun."

"…But we're not exactly what you'd call normal," Ulrich smiled. His smile grew even bigger when he saw Yumi running towards us. "Hey, guys, what's the plan?" she huffed as she came towards us.

"All of Paris, more or less," Odd chuckled. We all kind of laughed along, leaving Yumi looking confused.

From there we all walked around the entertainment part of Paris, where all the malls, skate parks, bookstores, and the other fun stuff was. At noon, we stopped at a café and for two hours we just relaxed and ate and had a great time.

For the first time in a while, I felt like a normal kid.

A shame that it couldn't have lasted longer.

As we were leaving, XANA attacked. The lights in all of the buildings flickered, and tentacles of electricity flashed over almost all of the people on the sidewalk. They didn't react. Instead, their skin turned pasty, and their eyes became bloodshot. The XANA symbol replaced their pupils.

"Crap," was my brilliant response.

We were completely surrounded by the XANA zombies. XANA had picked the busiest time of day to possess people. I know I've said this before, but XANA had impeccable timing.

Before the one closest me could try to kill me, I did a round house kick into his stomach. He didn't stay down.

"To the factory!" I yelled out, hoping the others would take the obvious hint. They did, and they ran as fast as they could to the school. I followed them and tried to keep up, because if I got lost now, I was doomed.

The zombies tried to grab at me, but I was too quick and dodged out of their way. If one did grab onto me, then Yumi, Ulrich or I would knock them down.

Luckily, the café we were at wasn't too far from the school. We were able to escape into the forest and down the manhole before they caught up with us.

"Do you think they're at the factory?" I asked down in the sewers. I was sweaty and out of breath, but that wasn't the point.

"If not, they will be soon," Odd said curtly, tossing me a skateboard. I didn't need to be told twice. Despite my meager skateboarding skills, I was able to keep up with the others and we were quickly at the factory.

Odd was right; I noticed a small mass of people in the distance, far away from the bridge. "We need to hurry," I exclaimed. I ran inside with the others closing in.

I swung down on the rope, ignoring the searing pain in my hands as I ran into the elevator. The others soon followed, and Jeremy punched in the code.

Jeremy stopped at the computer room; the rest of us went down to the scanner room. I waited with Odd as the others were getting virtualized.

"Hey, Carter, can I tell you something?" I knew what he was going to say.

"I know that you have a lot on your plate right now and aren't even thinking about dating, but… I really like you." I was about to tell him something, but he cut me off. "I know you're going to reject me, but I wanted to tell you before anything bad happened. And hey, if all of this blows over soon, maybe we could go out sometime." I couldn't say anything to that.

Odd didn't give me a chance to recover. A scanner slid open, and he hopped inside. He grinned at me before the doors closed. I slowly got in as the other scanner opened. I had no idea how I was going to face Odd on the other side. Hopefully I would get devirtualized before I did something hurtful or stupid.

Once again, I closed my eyes and the searing light took me to virtual oblivion.

* * *

><p>I landed in the forest sector on my feet once again. It also didn't take me as long to get over the idea of not having to breathe. I then saw Aelita waving to me with the others in tow. Odd was specifically not looking at me.<p>

Jeremy virtualized the hover board, the over bike, and Yumi's special ride, the over wing. I immediately went with Yumi, while Aelita climbed on Ulrich's bike. The activated tower was in the northwest part.

"…I take it that Odd asked you out?" Yumi asked me as we sped off into the northwest. She had conveniently steered away from the others so they wouldn't overhear.

Was it that obvious?

"Not exactly," I mumbled. "He just said that he liked me and that once we had all of this figured out, we should maybe go out."

"Is that all?" Yumi sounded surprised, like she had expected Odd to just ask me out and not mention his personal feelings. Maybe when he asked out a girl, he didn't talk like that.

"He said that the only reason he said it was so that if anything bad happened to me, I would know."

Yumi stayed silent. I think she was trying to comprehend Odd's actions.

Soon enough, we saw the tower up ahead, with two tarantulas and two krabs. Yumi immediately got out one of her fans and aimed at a krab. It exploded within five seconds.

I jumped to the ground and landed on top of the other krab. I stabbed one of my daggers into the eye and jumped down before I got hit by the explosion.

Odd and Ulrich were already laying into the tarantulas, but then I saw William come out of the tower. He smirked at me, and then aimed his dark energy beam at Ulrich. It got him in the chest. Jeremy yelled that he had lost twenty life points.

At that point I was seeing red. I mean, I've recently been attacked by an electrical storm, zombies, and William, Lord of Cockiness, himself. I was in no mood for any more of this bullshit.

I ran straight towards William, not caring if the tarantulas were shooting at me or that Lord Cocky was expecting me. I just drew my daggers and went straight for the kill.

William blocked my attack with his own sword, and we fought in an epic blade battle that I couldn't describe to anyone if I was asked. I just slashed and dodged and struck my daggers in where I could, but he always deflected me. His annoying smirk made me even angrier.

And then he just flipped me over into the activated tower like it was no big deal. I fell on my back onto this round floor that looked suspiciously like the XANA logo. But before I could get my bearings, I was being lifted into the air.

I was literally floating up to God-knows-where.

I just kind of stood like that while I was being lifted. Then I came upon another round floor with three rings. I hesitantly stepped on the first one, and it lit up. As soon as I stepped on the other two, they lit up as well.

I was standing on the center dot when the screen appeared.

I jumped back in the praying mantis defensive position before I calmed down. I examined the screen, but it showed nothing. I remembered that all Aelita had to do to deactivate a tower was touch the screen. I had no idea if it was a good idea, or if it would even work, but I put my entire right hand on the screen.

It scanned me, and I put my hand down. I remember that I kept thinking that maybe there would be some information on me that would magically pop up if I waited long enough.

I was so wrong.

The screen said "NAME: CARTER. CODE: SOLDIER." Just when I remembered that William called me that, black electricity shot through my entire body. It was even more painful than the time I went comatose the first time around. I didn't even know if that was even possible.

My throat wasn't closing in on me, so I was free to scream out in agony to all that could hear.

* * *

><p>"She went into the tower?" A woman in a white lab coat exclaimed as she watched the monitor with one of her assistants.<p>

"Yes. She's receiving the super soldier code as we speak."

"Good. Then all the pawns will be assembled and we can finally get this plan started." The woman smiled a sick smile as she heard her granddaughter scream in pain.

* * *

><p>…<em>I wasn't expecting the confession scene between Carter and Odd to happen like that. But it happened right before something absolutely awful happened, so it's okay.<em>

_I have no idea why Carter's grandma came into the picture. But it's certainly make's the story more interesting, doesn't it?_


	11. Chapter 11: Too Late to Save Her

Chapter 11: Too Late To Save Her

_My schedule changed, so now I can do a short story on Mondays and Fridays. _

…_You already know the disclaimer._

* * *

><p><strong>Odd's POV:<strong>

After William threw Carter into the tower, he tried to destroy her in there. No idea why there of all places. But Ulrich got there in time and knocked William away from the entrance, getting some of his life points in the process. While the bad guy was getting up, he took one look at the tower, scowled, and ran towards Ulrich, Zweihander already in his hands. From the look of things, he wanted to end this quickly.

On my hover board, I zoomed to where Yumi and Aelita were. They were having some trouble with the tarantulas and krabs, but with the help of yours truly, the crabs were gone faster than you can say "Odd is awesome."

Just as I was about to lay into the tarantulas with my laser arrows, we heard a terrible scream coming from the tower.

"Carter!" The good guys screamed, and we all ran towards the tower. Since Ulrich was closest, he tried to get in there to help her. But William wasn't done with him yet; one slash with Zweihander and Ulrich was instantly devirtualized.

"Ulrich!" Yumi called out to her "friend"-*cough boyfriend cough*- but she couldn't help him.

"Look at the tower!" Aelita told us. I looked to where she was pointing. My jaw dropped in shock.

The tower was no longer XANA's red, or neutral white, or Jeremy's green color.

It was purple. A beautiful, violent purple.

Immediately, the sky began to darken. There was no sun on Lyoko, not according to Jeremy, so this was really freaky. The forest seemed dim and gray, and the trees loomed over us and seemed even more menacing than usual.

And that wasn't even the freakiest part, which was hard to believe. The tarantulas that were about to vaporize Aelita and Yumi suddenly froze in their places. Nothing could shake them out of it, not even one of Aelita's energy blasts. And then they suddenly pixilated and were gone. Just… gone.

And you know what really sucks? So did my hover board, the over board, and the over wing. They just pixilated and vanished, with me plummeting to the ground. Thank God I was a cat, or that fall would have _hurt_.

I looked over at William. He was backing away from the tower with a look of pure terror on his face. I had no idea why. Didn't he intentionally throw Carter into the tower?

And then the beautiful girl who had been haunting my dreams slowly came out of the tower. There was something… off about her. She walked with hesitation, and slowly blinked her eyes, as if she was just waking up from a long sleep.

She looked at her hands, and then her outfit. Then she looked up with a surprised look on her face. And then I knew what was wrong with her.

Carter's eyes were a violent purple, as if a manic fire were burning in them. She took one look at William and her surprised expression changed to determination. She drew her daggers and advanced.

William, in a panic, tried to deflect, but was met with a huge force. Carter's daggers were crossed, blocking William's attack in its tracks. Normally, Zweihander's power, along with XANA's and William's strength, would knock a strong person away, like Ulrich (but don't tell him I said that). But Carter matched him with equal strength, eventually pushing William ten feet away from where he was standing.

"You never should have awakened me," Carter said, but it wasn't in her voice. I mean, it was her voice, but it had a deeper undertone, like someone else was talking for her. It was way too creepy.

XANA was just standing there in William's body, literally shaking like a leaf. He tried to attack with an energy blast from his hand, only to have it pixilated and disappear.

And then William tried to run away.

The three of us just stood there, completely in shock about what just happened. XANA was running? From _Carter_? True, this Carter was way more scary than the real one, but still…

And then Carter stole Ulrich's super speed move and was in front of William, a dagger pointed at his neck. "You never reveal your back to the enemy, XANA," Carter said in that creepy voice of hers, and even creepier smile spreading on her face.

"For that, you will pay," she said before slicing William's neck. Electricity shot out of the wound like blood normally would have, and William screamed in pain. Grabbing his throat, he turned into black smoke and escaped. Carter didn't try to stop him.

Carter put away her dagger and turned to Aelita, who, like the rest of us, stared at her in pure fear. "Go and deactivate the tower." Aelita was still standing there, the words incomprehensible to her ears. "Now!" Carter ordered more fiercely, and Aelita ran to the tower, not daring to look back.

And then Carter turned towards the forest and said, "The soldier has awakened. Reveal the door to the next world." The ground then shook like a magnum five earthquake, and two of the largest doors I've ever seen appeared.

They were made out of purple mist, and in the dark gloom, they looked gloomy and scary. They had a crossed sword design on it, and when they creaked open, the largest moan escaped out of the hinges, like they hadn't been used in a long time.

Carter stepped back to give the doors some room. When they were fully open, a blinding white light flashed before my eyes, making me cover my eyes with my paws. I knew Carter was going to step through that. "Carter, wait! Don't go!" I screamed out to her, but I don't think she heard me. The doors slammed shut and disappeared, along with my friend.

I dropped to my knees and put my head in my hands. "Don't go, Carter. Don't leave us," I muttered. I heard Yumi say my name softly, put it didn't do any good. Why hadn't I stopped her? Why did I just stand there and stare like an idiot?

"Guys." For the first time, I heard Jeremy's voice. "Carter's disappeared." "What do you mean she's disappeared?" Yumi said rather hysterically.

"When she walked through those doors, she was devirtualized, but she's not in any of the scanners. Ulrich's still done there, just staring at empty pods!"

Just then, Aelita deactivated the tower, returning the forest sector to its unearthly light, and the tower back to white. "Can't you do a return to the past or something?" Yumi asked.

"I'm trying… I don't believe it!" Jeremy cried. "The super computer won't let me use the return to the past!" "Why not?" Yumi demanded to know.

"I have no idea! Maybe it had something to do with that soldier thing Carter mentioned." I could hear Einstein typing away at the keyboard. "I'm devirtualizing you guys right now. Hopefully we can figure this out before it's too late."

_It's already too late. Carter's gone,_ I thought sadly as I was devirtualized.

* * *

><p><em>I did say this chapter would be short. Don't worry, I'll explain everything that's happening to Carter in the next chapter. I do feel bad for Odd, though. I mean, the girl of his dreams just disappeared right before his eyes. Who wouldn't be sad?<em>

…_Dear God, I'm feeling sorry for cartoon characters. What is wrong with me?_


	12. Chapter 12: The Terrible, Terrible Truth

Chapter 12: The Terrible, Terrible Truth

_I noticed that a few reviews were mainly questions. Hopefully this chapter explains everything for you._

_Disclaimer: See the first seven chapters or so._

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

I harsh light fell over my eyelids. I groaned and opened my eyes. I was in a scanner, but it wasn't in the factory. I was in a laboratory, where everything gleamed white: the walls, the floor tiles, the desk, the chairs, literally everything.

I had no idea where I was.

Of course, that didn't stop me from exploring after I slowly got out of the scanner.

My sneakers squeaked on the floor, and I noticed that it had recently been cleaned. The room itself was fairly small, not much bigger than the scanner room back at the factory. I quickly walked towards the metal doors, cringing as my sneakers squeaked loudly with each step.

The doors were pure metal, six inches of titanium. It slid opened as I neared it. I stepped through the doorway and saw the weirdest thing ever, which was saying something.

A bunch of what I assumed to be scientists were watching monitors. Everyone was wearing a type of suit under a sleek white lab coat. They were watching different things on the monitors: one group was watching the devastation in the Middle East, another group was watching the news, and another group was watching something, but I couldn't see what they were watching because of the amount of people standing near it. Everyone was middle-aged, and spoke English.

It took me a minute to absorb that. One minute I was in France, and the next I wake up in a scanner in America? Only one person had an English accent; everyone was talking like...

"Californians?" I muttered. No one seemed to notice the girl in grungy sneakers, tattered jeans, and a Metallica t-shirt. I looked over the room again, still not comprehending everything I was seeing. And then I zeroed in on a woman who was standing in the middle of the crowd near the biggest monitor, the one where the most people were. Her long blond hair was pulled into a loose French braid, and her posture was completely straight, like she had a rod for a spine. I recognized her immediately.

"Grandmother?" I gasped. I stared at the woman for another moment or so, until the confusion set in. Without thinking, I walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

She whirled around, an annoyed look on her face. She looked like she was about to scold someone, but then she looked down. Her expression turned to a look of surprise. She then grinned and hugged me, crying out "Sweetheart!"

I stiffened at her touch. Grandmother was not someone who showed affection so openly. That, and her perfume was making me gag.

Then she held me out at arms' length, studying me, her big smile never wavering. Her teeth were white, her dark red lipstick perfect. She was wearing very light makeup, her mascara and eyeliner going unnoticed, but still drawing attention to her green eyes. Not a single hair was loose on her head, and her nails were painted a blood red color. Her face looked sharp and young, not a single wrinkle anywhere.

If she wasn't nearing fifty, she could have been a knockout.

Grandmother clucked her tongue. "Such a beautiful face, and yet you're wearing such disgusting clothing? We must get you something else to wear."

I wasn't in any mood for this. "Where the hell am I? What is all of this? Who are these people? What are they doing here? What happened to your French accent?"

Grandmother barked out a laugh that chilled me to the bone. "So many questions! Come with me to the break room. I will answer them there." She shot a look to her co-workers, and they all went back to work.

* * *

><p>"What to start with…" Grandmother said to herself as she poured me some hot chocolate. We were in the so-called break room, which was just another pure white room, only with a fridge and a hot drink dispenser.<p>

"For one thing, we are in San Diego, California," Grandmother said as she set down my hot chocolate. I just stared at her. I was back home? But how?

"Grandmo-"

"Oh, don't call me that," she chided me, sipping her coffee. "That was just a cover. You may call me Vivian."

"Okay, then, Vivian. How did I get to San Diego? And what do you mean by cover?"

"When you came to France, you were expected to have family. Since the two of us are technically blood-related, I was chosen to help guide you while you began you're journey there."

"Cut the crap and tell me what's going on."

"Well that's a dirty mouth," Vivian remarked. "But very well. Have you ever heard of XANA?"

"Yeah, the evil computer program that's afraid of me and wants to take over the world."

"You do know what XANA's original purpose was, right? It was created during the Cold War as a means of detecting and interfering with enemy communication. Do you know why Lyoko was created?"

"Franz Hopper created it, right? To save himself and his daughter from the men in black."

"Well, I suppose that is a reason why he created _his_ version of Lyoko, but do you know what the original purpose was?"

"No…"

"During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States were building hundreds of nuclear bombs to threaten each other with. Naturally, the American people were petrified of a nuclear war, and created all sorts of bomb shelters and such things in case they were bombed. I'm sure you were taught this in your history class.

"Anyway, the American government thought that a nuclear war would not only devastate the earth, but destroy the human race along with it. That was when Franz Hopper came up with an idea of creating a virtual universe where they could preserve human DNA." Vivian took a moment to catch her breath and drink some of her coffee before she continued.

"Franz Hopper, along with myself, your grandfather, and a few other chosen individuals spent years creating a super computer strong enough to withstand a nuclear war. And then we spent another year or two creating the original Lyoko, right here in this laboratory. A few years before the Cold War ended, we got a few tests in, all with… not too good results."

"So you chose children," I spoke for the first time, my voice betraying no emotion.

Vivian nodded grimly. "We were all against it before, but the original lab results… By the time we got to this conclusion, the Cold War had ended, and the government was ready to pull the plug on the entire project. Franz Hopper went back to France, and I suppose he created his version of Lyoko there."

"But why? And what about the men in black?"

Vivian hesitated when answering. "I'm not entirely sure about that affair. Franz Hopper was always a paranoid man, even when the government recruited him and sent him here, away from his supposed enemies. He was also very guarded, never really befriending anyone. No one even knew how he lived while he stayed in America. All I knew was that after XANA got a mind of his own, Franz Hopper returned to France. Perhaps he felt safer there. Now, I'm not saying that he didn't stop trying to destroy XANA. On the contrary. But he had family in France, and I suppose it was his time to go back.

"But with the French government… What I'm about to tell you is all rumors and speculation. After Franz Hopper created Lyoko over there, the French government heard wind of it, and tried to take it for themselves. When Franz Hopper refused, he took his wife and child to some remote area in the mountains for a while. Then the French government took his wife, never to be seen or heard from again, and he and his daughter went back to Paris. After a few short years, the government found them again, and the two of them went online into Lyoko."

"But back with the whole preserving DNA thing. After the Cold War, other nations were popping up and threatening America with all their weapons of mass destruction, so the government let us continue our research. Well, we found out that it is very hard for adults to adapt to Lyoko, and they tend to freak out and… well, let's just say that it ended badly. But what type of human is able to go into a new, alien world and quickly adapt to it? A child, preferably one who grew up with video games."

"So you used children?" I repeated incredulously.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. At first, I was against it, but then I thought that in the long run, it would be worth it. Besides, the first child we used was given to us by parents who didn't want her anymore. And trust me, those parents were complete drug addicts. It was better for her to be with us then them.

"Anyway, after that test, we decided that for the human race, we needed smart children. One of our scientists had a boy genius, so he was used, though the parents didn't particularly like it. And then we thought that we needed resilient children who could persevere despite the odds. That's when you came in."

"I was a guinea pig?"

"I wouldn't put it that way, but yes, in a sense. Of course, your parents were furious when I first suggested it. They didn't imagine that you would be picked for the project. I mean, you were unimaginably bright. You possessed amazing drawing skills, your math and science scores were off the charts… of course we would pick you eventually. But your parents didn't want that for you. They escaped to where Franz Hopper was hiding out, and he warned them what we would do to get to you. I don't know what happened there, but they eventually returned to continue their lives here. They thought that they could protect you from us. They learned the hard way." She nonchalantly sipped her coffee.

I let that sink in. I pictured my parents' death, their horrified faces, the blood… Did they know what would happen to me? Was that why they were so horrified? That they couldn't protect me from their own family?

"You killed your own _daughter?_" I asked, my voice escalating. I slowly began to get out of my seat, but Vivian stopped me.

"Attack me, and the guards outside the door will take you out."

I sat back down, but with my guard up. This wasn't my grandmother across from me. This was a monster who toyed with human life and decided who lived and who died. She thought she was a god.

"You proved to be the best out of all of them. After XANA found out about you three, he tried to kill you all, but the three of you all terminated every threat he sent at you. You, especially, proved yourself doing phenomenally well on the battlefield. But then the French government started badgering us about creating a breed of super soldiers, especially after the Franz Hopper fiasco, so we had to shut down the project for a little while."

"You call ten years 'a little while'?" And then another question occurred to me. "What about my uncle Henry? Was he involved with all of this?"

"Your uncle didn't know about the project until after your parents died. We played it so that it was an unfortunate accident and that their last wish was so that you would be a part of a grand experiment. His beloved brother and sister-in-law were dead; why wouldn't he believe us?"

"But why bring me out? Why not the others?"

"Your uncle Henry wanted you to have a somewhat normal childhood. The others didn't have parents anymore, so we couldn't use them, or it would be awkward. You, at least, had some family. And then we found out about those kids and XANA being fully reawakened over there. XANA was able to be in two places at once, over here trying to destroy you and over in France, trying to destroy Franz Hopper. He went away after that supercomputer shut down, but now that he's awake again, we hoped that you would go to the bottom of all of this.

"We were pleased that you got a scholarship to Kadic Academy; it saved us the trouble of arranging the whole thing. Anyway, we hoped you would be able to discover what those children were doing over there, defeating XANA and whatnot. Since I am your grandmother, we arranged for the two of us- me and your grandfather- to escort you around Paris. We went back here after you left for school. Thanks to the project, I've been able to fake an American accent pretty well," Vivian smiled. I didn't smile back.

"And then XANA found out that you were awake again, and tried to kill you. We couldn't have that, so we tricked XANA into making a deal with us: get you into the tower, and you die. In exchange, we get to keep the other ones. XANA agreed, especially because you had the best chance of terminating XANA permanently. Obviously, the agreement didn't work, and you fully reawakened into the super soldier you were programmed to be!"

"Super soldier?"

"France was right about the super soldier project. We wanted humans who could withstand any disaster, in or outside of Lyoko. That's why we have scientists who watch the news; to program the key to surviving that disaster into you. That way, no matter the war or disaster, you could fight to save humanity. So, what do you think?"

I threw my untouched, cold hot chocolate at her. As she stood there, bleeding from the ceramic mug and dripping wet from the brown drink, I jumped out of the chair, over the table, and was able to plant a single punch into her nose before the guards came running in.

They grabbed me from behind and immediately knocked me out. I remember the throbbing pain in the back of my neck as they hit my pressure point.

Vivian was still in her seat, but she was over the shock. She was clutching her nose, and the cold liquid was slowly washing away her youth. "Put her in the pods with the others. Make sure she stays asleep for a _long _time!"

"We'll call a medic," one of them said nervously, trying not to stare at Vivian's face. If he made a single comment about that…

But Vivian just nodded curtly. The guards carried the unconscious girl into the pod room, where the other two were already sleeping peacefully, waiting for their next trip to Lyoko.

Vivian stayed in the break room. She wasn't surprised by her granddaughter's reaction. It was to be expected, especially with the bit about her parents. But she would soon see the grand scheme of things, how the world would soon need her and her incredible gifts.

She would understand soon enough.

* * *

><p><em>That chapter completely tired me out. Seriously. I'm almost glad that chapter's over and done with.<em>

_So, what do you guys' think? Does this explain everything?_


	13. Chapter 13: A Little Laugh

Chapter 13: A Little Laugh Before Stuff Gets Serious

…_I hate Mondays._

_My normally awesome English teacher assigned us a ton of homework, so I'm doing this super late. The quality's probably sucky, too._

_I'm tired of typing the disclaimer._

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the Factory<strong>

The Lyoko warriors were still in the factory, trying to find a way to get Carter back. Well, Jeremy was; the others were listlessly watching him search the supercomputer for possible answers.

"I've checked everything on this computer, and nothing!" Jeremy threw up his hands. "Aelita, please tell me there was something I overlooked."

"You haven't seen two discs worth of information we got back in Sector Five."

"Then what are you waiting for? Pop them into the supercomputer!"

Aelita did just that. The first disc held nothing; it had important information on it, but it couldn't be used to save Carter. The second disk, on the other hand…

"Holy crap! Look at all of this serious information that isn't encrypted for once!" Jeremy cried, sounding completely out of character.

"Jeremy, are you okay? You're starting to sound like Odd," Yumi said, concerned.

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Odd!" Ulrich snapped, looking at the screen. "Jeremy's right: I can actually read what's on the screen."

"It's not a whole lot, though," Jeremy said, speed reading through the entire thing. "Carter mentioned that she was called a soldier of some type, right?"

"Yes…" Aelita knew that look on Jeremy's face.

"Well, it says here that there was a project in America during the Cold War that was supposed to help save… the human race?"

"Seriously? They had technology that could do that back then?"

"Shut up, Odd!" Ulrich and Yumi said at the same time.

"Everything on this screen is really vague, though. The one time I don't have to spend a ton of time on figuring out an encrypted piece of information and this is what I get," Jeremy harrumphed, but continued on.

"Apparently, three people were chosen for this experiment. The first one was given up by her parents for an incredible large sum of money-"

"You mean someone gave up their own kid to a bunch of crazy scientists… _for money?_" Yumi cried in disgust. "That's horrible!"

"Well, it says the parents were drug addicts. They would have pretty awful as parents, anyway," Aelita said, trying to calm her friend down. "It's still wrong," Yumi mumbled, but she backed down.

"The second was a boy genius from England. He had an IQ of 190, and was able to figure out complex equations in his head. Carter was the third. It said here that her academic scores were off the charts, and that she was highly resilient with whatever those scientists threw at her. She was also incredible when it came to hand-to-hand combat."

"That would explain all those incredible moves on Lyoko," Odd remarked. He now understood why she was so amazing in a fight.

"Is there anything else?" Yumi asked Jeremy.

"Um… it says here that if any of these guys activated a tower, they would automatically return to their home base, in… San Diego."

"So Carter's there now? Does it say how to get her back?" Odd asked feverishly. He was fidgety and jumping around. They were so close to getting Carter back!

"No… it doesn't." Jeremy slumped back into his chair with a sigh of frustration. They were _so close_!

And of course, the answer came in as a totally last minute, totally unplanned deus ex machina.

It just popped up as Jeremy was thinking of a way to save Carter. Jeremy nearly jumped out of his seat in surprise. Without even clicking on it, the e-mail opened up on its own, and showed the message inside.

* * *

><p><em>Don't delete this if you want to save Carter.<em>

_You're most likely wondering who I am. Right now, I'm your best friend. I'm to one who can give you the information you need to save your friend._

_You just have to trust me. Can you do that?_

_Attached to this e-mail is a program that will send you and your little group of super heroes to the underground laboratory in San Diego. It will only go to San Diego, so don't try to make any detours._

_I expect you to not only save Carter, but the other two as well. I have included the codes necessary to bring them back to France. You can only use them three times. Don't waste them._

_I can't tell you who I am. But what I can tell: I'm against this operation and what it's done to too many innocent people. I'm the mole in this government conspiracy who can help you, but don't blow my cover._

_You're smart. I'm sure you'll save them._

* * *

><p>"…That was a really crappy deus ex machina."<p>

"Shut up, Odd!" Now everyone was yelling at him.

"Seriously, if this 'friend' of ours is right, we can save Carter! I'm getting to work on this right away!" And with that, Jeremy clicked the attached program and got to work on setting up the program.

"It's still a crappy deus ex machina," Odd mumbled as he sat down against the wall. Everyone else was just lazing around, not sure on what to do. Not even Aelita was helping Jeremy fix the problem, which was really weird.

"What do you guys think what the mole meant when he said that 'what it's done to too many people'?" Yumi asked, trying to break the ice. "Maybe people have died trying to stop this project," Ulrich said grimly, completely killing the hopeful mood. Everyone thought about that and what they were getting into.

"I can't believe it!" Jeremy suddenly shouted, looking deliriously happy. "Once again, I don't have to do a ton of work on saving somebody!" Jeremy gave a whoop of happiness on the fact that he didn't have much to do for once.

"You're right. That wasn't even five minutes!" Aelita said, looking at the clock on her phone.

"Does this mean we can go into the scanner room now?" Odd asked. He was already standing up.

"That's right. Hopefully our little friend hasn't screwed us over on this. Get going."

* * *

><p>"Okay, guys, if this program works, you should materialize over in San Diego in your Lyoko forms. I should still be able to contact you there," Jeremy said reassuringly. Easy for him to say. He was in his cushy chair in the computer room while his friends were about to be virtualized onto somewhere other than Lyoko. They had no idea if this would actually work! But they had no choice if they wanted to save Carter.<p>

Odd would take that risk, especially for her. "Let her rip, Jeremy!" Odd yelled out in his scanner, saying the exact same thing Carter said when she was virtualized for the second time.

Odd was the first to be virtualized. He closed his eyes and saw Carter's smiling face behind his eyelids.

_We're coming for you Carter. Please, hang on until we get there. Please._

* * *

><p>…<em>That was a really short chapter. Then again, I had a lot of homework today.<em>

_Still, I apologize for the awful chapter. I might try to fix it later when I have time, but honestly, I kind of like the comic relief I put in here. A little laugh right before the awesome showdown._

_So tell me, guys. Should I change this chapter or not? Leave your answers in the reviews._


	14. Chapter 14: Dreams of the Subconcious

Chapter 14: Dreams of the Subconscious

_I'm surprised by all the positive reviews from the last chapter. I was honestly expecting you guys to flame it to death. But I'm still glad you guys liked it._

_Insert disclaimer here._

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

When I opened her eyes, I was back home.

It looked exactly the same as it did all those years ago. My bedroom window still overlooked the ocean, and the little garden of sand and sea shells was under my window. The walls of my room were purple, and my bedcovers were a nice green color. My desk was made out of teakwood, filled with books and pictures and music sheets. My closet was open, and my old drum set was in the corner.

I got out of bed and looked in the mirror. My hair was a rat's nest, my pajamas wrinkled. But what surprised me the most out of my appearance was the fact that I was teenager.

_This isn't right_, I thought. _I should be seven or eight now. Something's wrong. Where am I? _

I walked out of the room. Everything from my old home was still there: The pictures of family vacations on the walls, the small table with the flower base, the soft carpet… Yeah, everything.

And when I walked into the kitchen, my mind was completely blown.

My mother was standing over the stove, making breakfast, her long, blond hair in a French braid. My dad was still in his pajamas, sipping coffee while reading the newspaper. His hair had been recently cut, showing his handsome face.

I couldn't breathe. My parents were alive. Emotions that I hadn't felt in years washed over me. I could feel tears well up in my eyes as I stared at the people I loved.

Finally, my dad noticed me. "Hey, Carter, what are you still doing in your pajamas? You have school in a few minutes." He gave me one of his mega kilo-watt smiles.

"Don't forget that your friends are coming to pick you up soon," my mother said, putting a tray of breakfast for me on the kitchen table.

"Friends?" I said meekly. I still couldn't absorb what was going on.

My dad looked at me, confused. Then he laughed, a deep, warm noise that made me even happier. "You know, sweetheart, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy? Do any of those names ring a bell?"

Now I was really confused. "But what about Uncle Henry? Where is he?"

"Wake up, sleepyhead," my mother said sweetly, the trace of her French accent still in her voice. "Your uncle Henry is still in Afghanistan. He won't be back for a while. Don't you remember?"

"Yeah, now I do," I lied. I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I had been in a lab, and I learned about the project… What was it, exactly? And what lab? A science lab? What was I talking about?

Despite the blank in my memory, I just went along with everything. I was sure that all of my questions would be answered soon enough. Besides, something was telling me that I shouldn't question this.

I hurriedly ate my breakfast of blueberry pancakes, brushed my hair, put on some clothes, brushed my teeth, and grabbed my school stuff, and was soon out the door. My parents shouted their goodbyes as I ran outside.

I didn't have to wait long for my friends. A few minutes later they showed up, laughing and smiling and basically acting like a close-knit group of friends. When they saw me, they immediately let me into the circle, and we were soon walking to school.

For the first time in a while, I felt truly happy.

* * *

><p><strong>The Lyoko Warriors<strong>

Since Odd was the first person to get virtualized, obviously he would be the first person at the San Diego lab. He was horribly disoriented after the trip, and when he looked at his hands, he noticed that they were actually _paws_.

"Yep, I'm definitely not on Lyoko anymore," Odd said as he stumbled out of the scanner. He waited impatiently for the others. As soon as they were all accounted for, they called out to Jeremy.

"Thank God I can contact you guys," Jeremy's voice rang from above. "I have the entire layout of the lab and I think I know where Carter is."'

"Well, what are you waiting for, Einstein? Where is it?" Odd demanded to know. "Calm down, Odd," Ulrich said soothingly. "If we rush this, we could botch the whole mission."

"I know that, but I can't just stand here while those crazy scientists are dissecting Carter or whatever it is that crazy scientists do to their victims!"

"I seriously doubt their dissecting her, Odd," Aelita said. "Aelita's right, " Jeremy concurred. "She's most likely in a room where the pod-like chambers are."

"Pod-like chambers?" Yumi repeated.

"I can't really tell from the map, but they seem to be storage tanks specifically designed to hold humans for long periods of time."

"Do you think Carter was in one of those things when she went to sleep for ten years?" Ulrich asked.

"Most likely. The pod room isn't that far from your location. Be careful, guys. We don't know how strong these guys are."

"Well, we're in our Lyoko forms, so this shouldn't be too hard," Odd said, now reassured that they were going to save Carter. Ulrich, the ever optimist he was, had this to say: "We should still be careful, though. These guys are probably trained to kill. And who knows what they did to Carter. They probably brainwashed her to fight against us." Odd instantly paled at that. He hadn't even thought that would happen.

Yumi and Aelita both punched him in the ribs. "Ow! What was-" And then Ulrich noticed Odd's expression. "Oh! But then again, we got here almost as soon as she was devirtualized here. I doubt they could brainwash her fast enough," Ulrich quickly said to make up for his mistake. The words were completely lost on Odd.

"Maybe we should actually do the rescue mission now," Yumi concluded, leading the others out the door. The door led to the screening room where Carter first ended up. Strangely, there was no one in there.

"Where is everybody?" Aelita asked. "Does it matter? If they're out, then we can get Carter and the other two out of here faster," Ulrich said, looking around.

"I think I know where they are," Odd said, getting out of his stupor. He pointed to a small screen- which was pretty hard to do when you had _freaking paws_ for hands- where all the scientists were milling about. The room was filled with computers and one single super computer, that looked like the super computer back in France.

"I think we found the other Lyoko," Ulrich stated. "So does that mean Carter's on that Lyoko right now?" Aelita asked.

"What'll happen if we pull Carter out of Lyoko before she's devirtualized?" Odd asked Aelita. She shook her head. "I have no idea, but I don't think we should try it."

"Forget that! Carter's two rooms away from you! Get going!" Jeremy ordered. They were taking way too long at that computer screen.

The next room was some sort of break room, but it was cold and heartless, so it didn't seem like much. No one was in there, thankfully, so all they had to do was go into the pod room.

The pod room was totally empty, save for the three kids trapped in cyber cradles. "Ok, so how do we get them out?" Yumi asked.

"I could try hacking the system a bit, try to open these up without destroying the people inside," Aelita said, a hand hovering over one of the computer screens surrounding the pods.

"Since when can you do that?" Odd asked. He was trying to find the one that held Carter.

"Since shut up!" Aelita snapped as she hacked into the system. "You didn't have to say it like that," Odd mumbled as he located Carter's pod.

The window of it was foggy, so Odd had to wipe it off. He saw Carter with wires connecting to her temples. Her arms were folded in her lap like she was praying. Her lips were slightly parted, like she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful, and Odd hated the idea of having to wake her up. Odd could only imagine what she was dreaming.

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

It was now lunch time at school. My day had been great so far: My friends were in most of my classes-Yumi, being the oldest, obviously wasn't in any of them- and we were having the time of our lives.

Obviously, someone had to ruin it.

Lydia, one of the girls who absolutely loved to torment me, was walking up to our table with her little cronies. Her smug look instantly made me want to punch somebody.

"Having fun at the freak table?" Lydia said in her annoying voice.

"Yeah, we're having a blast," I retorted, and tried to get back to the conversation at hand.

Lydia, not used to being ignored, tried to pour her soda on me, because that's what mean girls do (on TV, anyway). But Odd saw what was happening and, being the complete gentleman that he was, tore up a piece of paper, put it in his mouth, stuck his milk straw to his lips, and fired a spitball at the idiot girl.

It landed on her forehead, and looked like a disgusting zit had just erupted on there. Lydia, overcome with horror, failed to notice me pouring my milk over her shoes. Lydia shrieked and, with her little cronies fussing over her, ran away to fix herself up.

I high-fived Odd. "We make an awesome team," I said, absolutely beaming. "Damn right we do. Did you see her face? Please tell me someone got a picture of that!" Odd cheered as he watched his friends laugh.

I was deliriously happy. My parents were alive, there was no XANA, no Lyoko, no one trying to kill me. I was just a normal student having the time of my life with her friends.

If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, so no epic showdown scene just yet. I just wanted to explore Carter's subconscious, see what she really wants. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but you'll definitely see what else Carter wants in her life in the next chapter.<em>


	15. Chapter 15: The Not So Epic Battle Scene

Chapter 15: The Not So Epic Battle Scene

**The Lyoko Warriors**

"Slight problem, guys." Aelita drew her hand away from the screen. "The scientists are testing the other two on their Lyoko. They have to be devirtualized first so we can get them all out of here. If we get them all out at the same time, we can be in and out of here before they come to check on them."

"When are they going to finish the testing?" Ulrich asked, checking out the other pods. One held a tan girl with bleached blonde hair, the other a red headed boy with an insane amount of freckles on his face.

Odd was still sitting by the sleeping Carter, but he was no longer looking at her. He was trying to get engaged in the conversation.

"Why haven't they taken Carter to Lyoko yet?" Odd asked.

"Carter hasn't been here in a long time. They probably want to prep her before they send her there," Jeremy answered, his voice ringing out from the silence.

Aelita was back to the screen, trying to find a way to get the three kids out of those pods. Yumi was playing with her fans, and Ulrich was polishing his saber. They had nothing to do while Aelita got the others out of their pods.

They all started to wonder what was going on in Carter's head.

**Carter's POV:**

_It was now the end of school. It had been another great day, with very little homework and no tests to study for. I heard that there was a soccer game today, and that Ulrich and Odd were our team's aces. It was going to be at four o'clock, though, so they both had some time to kill before the match._

_We were all in a cyber café doing homework and just hanging out. Jeremy and Aelita were off on their own doing some science project together-no doubt they would get the highest grade- and Ulrich and Yumi were off in their own little world at another table. I was with Odd helping him with his math homework while I tried to do mine._

"_Algebra sucks," Odd stated, throwing down his pencil. "You only say that because you never pay attention," I chided him. Secretly, I was kind of glad that I was spending time with him. I mean, I was with him when the others were around, but it just wasn't the same._

"_Hey, Carter," Odd started after I coaxed him into finishing his homework. "Are you doing anything today after the match?"_

"_I don't have anything special planned."_

"_Do you want to go to that carnival with me? The one that's open for the rest of the week?"_

"_Yeah, I'd love to." I could've sworn I was blushing._

"_Awesome," he said, ducking his head down. He was totally red in the face._

_I looked out the café window. The sun was shining, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky._

_I wanted today to last forever._

* * *

><p><strong>Back in the Pod Room<strong>

"They've just finished testing them!" Aelita exclaimed. The others immediately got out of their lethargy and were now poised to attack.

"I think I'll be able to get them all out now! But it'll take a while, and I don't know if the scientists have gotten wind of this yet."

"I don't think so," Ulrich said. "If they knew about us being here, they would have sent someone to stop us. By the way, Aelita, how are you hacking that system?"

"With science."

"Ok, well, obviously, but still; how are you able to get them out of their comas?"

"It's a long and boring explanation that'll completely bore you to death. Now would you be quiet while I get our friend out?" Aelita snapped as she desperately searched through the system for Carter.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Carter's Dream<strong>

_We were at the soccer game. Our team was totally beating the crap out of the other team, mainly because of Ulrich and Odd._

_And then things started to go wrong._

_I first noticed it when the fans on the bleachers were quiet. I looked around and saw that they were literally frozen. I looked to my left, and I saw that Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy were also frozen. It was the same story when I looked out to the field._

_And then everyone started to flicker and pixelize. I made the mistake of blinking, and I found myself in some sort of circuit board, all green with beeping lights. There was a blinding light in front of me, and it was coming to me at an alarming speed. I think I screamed as I covered my eyes, but over the hum of some sort of machine, I couldn't hear it._

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

My eyelids felt heavy when I tried to open them. When they finally lifted, I was staring out at some sort of window. Someone was hovering over it. I tried to move my head to make out whom, but something held me back. There were wires attached to my head. I roughly pulled them off just as the window lifted up.

I blinked in the low lighting. I looked around and saw my friends… in their Lyoko outfits? What was all that about? But I would have to question them later. The other two kids in the pods were starting to wake up.

I saw Odd looking over at me. I turned away from him, remembering what happened in my dream. I clumsily got out of my pod and watched with the others as the other two got out as well.

The first one out was a redhead with freckles splattered across his nose. He was wearing a tattered blue Fall Out Boy t-shirt with ripped up jeans and beat-up white sneakers. His clothes completely matched his sky blue eyes. He looked at us with sleepy eyes and said, "Are you here to tell me the story about the bunny?"

"Oh my god, you did _not _just say that!" A valley girl voice shrieked from the other pod. It was a girl with overly tanned skin and bleached blonde hair. She was dressed in all pink, with a baby doll t-shirt and a mini skirt that was _way _too short. She was also wearing pink heels that looked like death traps. I knew her type: the stupid Barbie girl who loved to pretend they know how to surf when they barely have any experience (I should know; they're everywhere in San Diego). They also thought that squealing and being loud was cute.

I instantly hated her.

"Will you shut up, Stacey?" The redheaded boy yelled at her. Clearly, these two weren't friends.

And then he saw me. "Carter? What are you doing back here? I thought you got out!" His British accent was really cute.

"I did. Then they kidnapped me again, and then my friends got us out." I pointed to the Lyoko warriors. "Why are they dressed so funny?" the British boy inquired. "No time to explain. We have to go NOW," Ulrich ordered. We could hear the scientists coming from the door. I followed Ulrich and the others out some other door, probably the one they came in.

We walked into the screen where I first met Vivian. Man, that was a horrible memory. I then followed the others into the pure white scanner room, the one I came in.

"You three go first," Yumi said, getting out her fans. The scientists were coming.

"But we can't just leave you guys!" I protested, ready to fight. "We came to rescue you. If you get caught again, then this entire mission would have been in vain," Jeremy said from above. Stacey and the British dude looked up, confused. I grabbed his arm. "Come on, British dude! Into the scanners!"

"I have a name, you know! It's Devlin!" he said as I pushed him into a scanner. Stacey cat walked into another one, put no one was really paying attention to her. I got into the last one. "Be careful, you guys," I said to them all, but I was looking at Odd. He nodded with a smile, and then turned to the door.

"Ok, guys, I'm starting the procedure," Jeremy called as the scanner doors slid shut. I leaned back, extremely exhausted. I closed my eyes before the light seared my eyesight.

* * *

><p><strong>Back with the Lyoko Warriors<strong>

"Aelita, Ulrich, get in the scanners first!" Odd ordered as the first scientist ran into the room.

"What?" Ulrich cried as Aelita ran into an empty scanner. "I'll get them before they can mess up the computers. Now shut up and get your ass in a scanner!" Odd shot a laser arrow into the scientist and he instantly crumpled to the ground.

Ulrich hesitated, but complied. "Yumi, you go into the next one!" Odd said as he shot more laser arrows into scientists. He could hear the sound of Yumi's fans slicing some of the enemy before they returned to her hands.

"But what about you?" Yumi asked, striking the enemy again. "I'll be fine. Now go!"

"This is no time to be a hero, Odd!" Ulrich yelled at his friend as Yumi ran to an empty scanner. The doors closed on Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich before Odd could retort.

The scientists were smart now; they knew that by going in they would get shot. They had temporarily retreated and were searching for weapons.

Odd impatiently waited for one of the scanners to open again. He didn't have time to wait. Already the scientists were regrouping.

Finally, the middle scanner opened up and Odd leaped inside it. The scanner doors closed just as one of the scientists barged in with a gun. Odd leaned back, relieved that they gotten away before anything bad happened to them. He, too, closed his eyes in exhaustion as the blinding light seared his eyelids.

* * *

><p><em>I finally got this up before my week really got crazy. Curse my stupidly insane schedule!<em>

_So, what do you guys think?_


	16. Chapter 16: Back to Lyoko

Chapter 16: Back to Lyoko

_Because the last chapter didn't have that fight scene I was talking about, I tried to put it here. Hopefully this chapter is more… exciting._

_I own nothing except the story and Carter._

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

When I woke up, I was twenty feet in the air, back in the forest sector.

I landed gracefully on my feet and waited for the others to virtualize onto Lyoko.

Wait, why was I on Lyoko?

"Jeremy, are you there?" I called out to the genius as Devlin and Stacey began to virtualize.

"Yeah, I am. And just for the record, I have no idea why you're in Lyoko. I was honestly expecting you to virtualize in the factory." I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"How were you able to virtualize us here at all?" I asked as Devlin and Stacey fell from the sky. Both landed on their feet like I did. I would have to get back to Jeremy.

The first thing I noticed where their Lyoko outfits. Stacey, naturally, was a cheerleader: She was wearing a cute pink cheerleader outfit with a tiny skirt and cleats for shoes. Her hair was in a ponytail like mine, but she had that special ribbon that cheerleaders get with their costumes. On her chest was a bedazzled "S", probably for her name. The only thing weird about her was the bow and arrow in her hands, and the quiver full of arrows strapped to her back.

Then there was Devlin. His hair was longer on Lyoko, down to his shoulders, and his freckles weren't as blaringly obvious. His outfit was sleek and slim, like it was meant for speed. It was as blue as his eyes, and he would've looked really cool if he didn't have a blue dog's tail and pointy ears. His sneakers were normal, but he wasn't wearing those paw gloves like Odd had; he was gloveless. Devlin also had gun holster with two guns strapped to either side, though I couldn't see what kind they were. But the thing that mostly got my attention was his shirt: it had a silver dragon on it, all metallic and shiny. That was the coolest part of his costume.

Devlin noticed my stare. "What, did you honestly think we wouldn't have Lyoko outfits?"

"I don't remember either of you," was my brilliant comeback.

"Of course not!" Stacey interrupted. God, her voice was annoying. "Your _uncle_"-she said with a terrible amount of venom in her voice- "got you out of there so you could have a normal life, at least for a while."

"What Stacey is _trying_ to say"-Devlin shot the Barbie a glare- "is that when you were taken out of that Lyoko, your uncle made the scientists erase your conscious memory of the project so as not to arouse questions. Subconsciously, though, you remembered how to fight and use your powers in the real world."

"That explains a lot." The reason why I knew how to fight XANA, how I could make my daggers appear out of thin air… "What do you mean we can use our powers in the real world?"

Devlin was about to say something, but then three other people were starting to virtualize. "Huh. So that's how that happens," I heard Devlin mutter. I turned to him, confused, but he was too busy staring at the sky.

Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi were the ones in the sky. "Why are we on Lyoko?" Yumi asked, staring at us. Her eyebrows shot up a bit when she looked at Stacey and Devlin, but she didn't say anything.

"Jeremy doesn't even know," I answered. "Where's Odd? Don't tell me he tried to be a hero and stayed behind!"

"That's exactly what he did," Ulrich said. "If he survives, I am so going to kill him."

"Get in line." Ulrich looked at me, but was too scared to say anything after he saw the look on my face.

And then Odd, Lord of Overconfidence himself, appeared in the virtual sky just like everyone else did. We watched silently as he dropped down on all fours. He looked at us with a goofy smile, clearly not feeling the tension in the air.

"Hey, guys! Glad to see you all in one piece! I guess Einstein's program worked!" When we didn't say anything, he looked worried. "What's the problem?"

"Your freaking overconfidence is the problem!" I started to yell. "What the hell were you thinking, taking on those crazy bastards by yourself? You could have been killed!" I looked at Ulrich. "Back me up here, will you?"

"There was no point in being a hero! No one would forgive you for dying on us, you idiot!" Ulrich yelled at him. "Great to see you guys too," Odd mumbled, not looking at us.

Aelita put a hand on his shoulder. "What Ulrich and Carter are trying to say is that they were really worried something bad might have happened to you, and we never want you do to something that crazy again."

"But I'm always doing crazy stuff! I wouldn't be Odd if I didn't!" he protested. I had to soften at that; I mean, it was a stupid argument, but it was true. I could tell by Ulrich's smile that he agreed with me.

"Uh, guys, I hate to break up the moment, but we have trouble, and I can't tell what it is!" Jeremy anxiously said, cutting in.

"It's not XANA?" Yumi asked, looking around. "No." Devlin pointed out in front of him. "It's the scientists."

At that moment, the forest dimmed, as if the virtual sun was starting to go out. "What the hell is going on?" I asked. "Something very, very bad," Odd said, his face unnaturally pale. I didn't have time to ask what was wrong, because the bad guys were soon upon us.

* * *

><p>Gray blobs.<p>

We were fighting gray blobs.

Let me clarify: The gray blobs looked like smoke had collected together and formed a humanoid shape. I had thought that when Stacey fired an arrow at one of them, it would have disappeared, but the arrow had lodged itself into the enemy like it was made of gelatin.

Disgusting, gray gelatin.

The worst part? None of us see a weak spot; there just wasn't a visible target, like XANA had on his monsters. Only Devlin and Stacey knew what they were doing. They instantly ran into the giant army of gray with Stacey shooting at the heads and Devlin aiming his guns at the heart-if they even had a heart.

"Jeremy! Where's the tower?" I yelled for him as Yumi and Ulrich sprang into action and ran to fight.

"North by northwest. But you have to get past the army to get there!"

"Virtualize my hover board! Maybe Aelita and I can get over them!" Odd said. His plan was kind of brilliant, and I wasn't being sarcastic.

As Jeremy rushed to get the hover board, Odd asked me, "Do you know how to fight these things?"

"I… I think so. Most likely I'll have to start fighting them to remember." I got out my daggers. They shined with a wicked light that I rather enjoyed.

"Are you scared?" I looked at him. Did I look scared? Odd's face betrayed no emotion.

"No." And I wasn't. An unsettling calm had washed over me, like I had done this before. I could feel my shoulders tense at the thought.

Odd's hover board had virtualized by then. Both he and Aelita jumped on.

"Aelita, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Aelita smiled. "That might be a little hard to do." And then they sped off, over the enemy army to save the day.

"Carter, do you think Aelita can deactivate the tower and stop them?" Jeremy asked me in a soft voice. He sounded as worried as I felt.

"She's our only chance, Jeremy. We have to believe that it'll work." And with that, I ran into battle.

* * *

><p>Devlin and Stacey had already taken care of a third of the blobs by the time I had got there. It was as if they never ran out of ammo to throw at them. Since the scientists had programmed them, they probably didn't.<p>

They had discovered the weakness: Aim at the head or the heart. Ulrich and Yumi had followed their lead and were soon kicking major butt. Slight problem: The gray blobs were only good with hand-to-hand combat, so anybody with a long range weapon couldn't really use their weapons up close. Thankfully, Yumi was amazing in Pencak Silat, so that wasn't too much of a problem. But she still couldn't kill them. Ulrich killed them for her when he wasn't trying to defeat the monsters in front of him.

Stacey and Devlin had the best luck. They were destroying those monsters with well-placed aim. I noticed that the bullets from Devlin's guns weren't actually normal bullets, but lasers bullets, like Odd's laser arrows.

I became a demon, slashing and kicking at them like there was no tomorrow. One tried to sneak up on me: I dodged to the right and stabbed it in the back of his neck. Another tried hand-to-hand combat: That left him wide open for me to stab his heart. With every stroke of my daggers, they disappeared. It was then I realized that Devlin had been right: My mind couldn't remember these creatures, but my body could instantly respond to their attacks.

I screamed, and attacked another one. It didn't matter how much I hurt these blobs, they never screamed in pain. I could feel the terrible power in my veins, telling me to kill more and more. This power… it was far too intoxicating.

Was I crazy? Did the scientists do this to me?

Soon the enemy numbers dwindled. They tried to retreat, but I wouldn't let them. I ran to them, slicing at their legs and stomping on their heads as they fell down (and I was wearing two inch heeled boots, so that _had_ to hurt). I stabbed a few more before I got tired. But I didn't want to be tired! I wanted to destroy and kill some more!

Devlin, who had finished early, stared at me. "It's starting."

"What's starting?" My voice came out low and harsh, and that startled me.

"When you first showed signs of being able to fight, the scientists wanted to see how merciless and sadistic you would become. I don't know how they did it, but whenever you are in a life or death situation, this sadistic instinct while over take you and…" he didn't need to finish.

"How do I stop it?"

"Willpower? Look, I have no idea. But try not to get into fights you can't win, okay? Or you _will_ kill everyone around you." And with that, Devlin walked away.

I stared at his retreating back. That's it? That's all the genius boy had to say? For the love of God, I could turn into a bloodthirsty murderer!...But he said it only happened in a life or death situation. So all I had to do was try not to die and it wouldn't come out. Totally simple.

As if to prove my point, the dimness had lifted, and the forest sector was bright once again. "Aelita did it," I said with a happy grin spreading over my face. I looked over at the others. Yumi and Ulrich both looked tired, but they were more or less fine. Devlin was making sure they were okay, and Stacey was checking her outfit, making sure it was perfect.

"Jeremy, do you think you can devirtualize us?" I asked the boy.

"I don't know about Devlin and Stacey, but I can do the others." Jeremy sounded relieved despite that. I couldn't blame him.

Yumi and Ulrich were the first to devirtualize. I saw Odd and Aelita flying back to us from the north. They landed in front of me just as the hover board was starting to disappear.

"I take it you saved the day," I said to Aelita. She smiled as she asked, "What's going on now?"

"Jeremy's devirtualizing us," I said as I started to pixelate. "See you soon," I grinned.

And with that, I was once again staring at oblivion, but this time, I was okay with it.

* * *

><p><em>So, does this chapter make up for the last one? Rate and review please.<em>

_I also noticed all the nice comments I've getting on my first story. I honestly thought that a lot more people would have hated it. Weird, how it works like that._

_Anyway, thanks for the great reviews and comments. Hopefully they'll stay that way in the future._


	17. Chapter 17: An Awkward Silence

Chapter 17: An Awkward Silence

_I apologize for being late with the updates. Midwinter break is next week, and all the teachers decided to pile up on homework and tests. On the plus side, I now have an entire week to update, so I guess that makes up for that._

…_Do I honestly have to repeat the disclaimer?_

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

I walked out of the scanner only to find Ulrich and Yumi glaring at me.

"What?" I asked them, dumbfounded.

"Why the hell did you scream back there? We honestly thought you were dying because of those guys!" Yumi lashed out.

"You do remember that I can't technically die on Lyoko, right?"

"You know what we mean," Ulrich said sharply.

"Besides, haven't you guys ever heard of a battle cry before?" I gave them a look.

"That was _not _a battle cry!" Yumi retorted as Odd and Aelita returned to our world.

"Hey, guys, what's with all the sad faces? We totally annihilated those freaks!" Odd whooped victoriously, jumping out of his scanner.

"You mean Devlin, Stacey, and Carter totally annihilated those freaks while you and Aelita escaped to get to the tower," Ulrich corrected.

"Hey, in our defense, it was really far away!" Odd protested. "And what did you two do while we were away?"

"Well, after we discovered the weakness of those blob monsters, we tried to kill them. But neither of our weapons were particularly useful in doing that, so we had to resort to punching them in the head _really_ hard." Yumi shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Speaking of Devlin and Stacey, where are they?" Aelita asked as two of the scanners opened once more.

"Speak of the devil," I added unhelpfully as the two of them staggered out.

"So I take it the devirtualization process works for them here?" Ulrich asked Jeremy, who was still up in the super computer room above.

"It did take a while, but it definitely works," Jeremy's voice said from above. Devlin looked up curiously and asked, "How can we hear him talking?"

"From speakers connected to his headset," Aelita explained simply. "Does he have a super computer?" Stacey asked, still using that valley girl voice.

"Yes. Yes he does," I answered sharply. Devlin immediately tried to walk into the elevator to see the computer, but then he fell, writhing to the ground.

"Not them too!" Odd exclaimed as Stacey also began to faint. Both had tears streaming down their cheeks as they gasped for air. Soon, they were on the ground, completely still, but they had stopped crying, and their pale faces slowly returned to normal.

"Is this what happened to me?" I asked them, even though the answer was obvious. "Down to a freaking T," Yumi replied as she hoisted Stacey up. "Come on, we have to get them out of here." Aelita helped her while Ulrich and I got Devlin. Odd ran to the elevator and punched in the code but didn't push the big red button until we were all inside.

* * *

><p>"I take it they fainted," were Jeremy's first words when he saw us. From the way he looked at us, I figured that he finally had something of an explanation for that.<p>

"You know what's going on with us, don't you?" I accused him. The rest looked at him in surprise. "You do?" Aelita asked as she and Yumi set Stacey down. Odd and Ulrich leaned Devlin against the wall.

"…I think I do, but I'm not entirely sure." Jeremy finally got out of his chair. "The three of you were always on that Lyoko; you never visited Franz Hopper's version. Maybe there's something different in the codes on the other one that doesn't sit right with the three of you."

"That does explain that," I said, nudging Devlin with my foot.

"But the most important thing is that all of you are safe now, and hopefully it'll stay that way," Ulrich concluded. "No need to thank us. The pleasure was all ours," Odd said, bowing as if he were a servant.

I smiled; it was kind of hard not to with Odd around. But then something occurred to me. "What do we do about them?"

"That's a good question," Aelita remarked. "It's not like they can just stay in the factory."

"Do you think it's a good idea to enroll them into Kadic? _They_ know where we are now," Yumi wondered. We knew who she was referring to.

"We don't really have any other options," Jeremy said, getting back into his comfy chair. "I'll make some fake profiles for them so we can enroll them. It shouldn't take long. In the meantime, we should make these two more comfortable. I think that since they have the same-how should I put this? - _disease _as Carter, they might not be waking up anytime soon."

"That's a good point, actually," Odd said. He and Ulrich were already lifting Devlin up again. Since Aelita would no doubt stay with Jeremy to help him, I helped Yumi with lifting Stacey off the ground.

* * *

><p>"Where to?" I asked as we traveled down the elevator. "The factory has a lot of unused rooms. We can set them down in one of them," Ulrich said. A silence fell over, and no one dared to break it.<p>

I shifted Stacey to a more comfortable position. She was surprisingly light. Did Vivian feed her, or had she been sustained in those pods? I remembered the dream I had in those things and felt my face flush. I prayed that no one noticed.

The elevator slowed and we walked out. We were back on the first floor, where the staircase leading to the entrance was missing. Yumi and I followed Ulrich and Odd to an ancient machine room, with a factory line that had robotic arms. Spare parts were everywhere, and there were a few half-finished products laying about.

"Are you sure that it's safest to put them here?" I asked as I put Stacey near Devlin. Both were laying still on the floor, sleeping peacefully. "We figured that if anything happened, we would want them near the super computer," Ulrich said, pointing to a clearing that glowed blue. From across the room, I could make out two vaguely human shapes there.

"But, man, was he light," Odd claimed, gesturing to Devlin. "Stacey, too," Yumi agreed. We were all just standing around, not exactly sure on what to do. We knew Jeremy and Aelita didn't need our help, and we couldn't just leave the other two here.

"I wonder if they actually ate real food, or if they were just pumped with vitamins in those pods," I mused, finally deciding to sit down. The other three joined me.

"What happened to you over there?" Ulrich said softly. He probably thought that I would jump like a scared rabbit just by thinking about it.

"Nothing, really," I shrugged. "I just dreamt a bunch of happy thoughts." I deliberately didn't look at Odd as I said that. "But my grandmother did explain the entire project to me beforehand."

"What does your grandma have anything to do with this?" Odd asked. And from there I told them the whole story: From the creation, to Franz Hopper's paranoia, to what Vivian had done to my parents.

"Your grandma killed her own daughter?" Yumi exclaimed. Her beautiful face was twisted with horror and disgust, as it should be.

"She did the same thing to Devlin's parents, too." I looked at him, just sleeping there. Did he know that he was technically an orphan?

"And Stacey's parents gave her to them." Odd shook his head. "What about your uncle?"

"Vivian said that he never knew about the project until after my parents died. They led him to believe that it was all a freak accident and that their last wish was for me to be a part of the project."

"That's messed up," was all Ulrich said.

"Welcome to my world. Hey, what time is it?"

Yumi pulled out her cell phone. "It's five o'clock exactly." She stared at us.

"So you mean to tell me that me getting captured, being put to sleep, and you guys rescuing me only took _a few hours_?" I shook my head in disbelief. "Thanks for the rescue, by the way."

"No problem. But yeah, it does seem kind of ridiculous," Ulrich chuckled.

"Do you think we'll be able to leave them all for dinner?" Odd asked in his typical fashion.

"That reminds me. We have to get these guys some food." Yumi stood up and dusted herself off. "Where are you going?" Ulrich asked, also getting up.

"There should be a convenience store close by. I'll go pick up some stuff and come back."

"I'm going with you." Ulrich said with a small smile. And with that they were gone.

* * *

><p>"Do you think they can hear us?" I was talking about Devlin and Stacey.<p>

"Well, when this first happened to you, we talked a lot when you were unconscious. Do you remember anything we said?"

"Nothing comes to mind."

"Then I seriously doubt they can hear us." That left us in an awkward silence.

"So…" Odd began. "What kind of happy dreams were you having in that pod?"

"Well, for one thing, my parents were alive."

"Oh." From the way he sounded that out, I figured he knew that already.

"We were all in San Diego, you, me, Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremy, and Aelita. There was no super soldier project, no XANA, no Lyoko. We were all normal high school kids enjoying a normal school life." I pulled my legs toward me.

"Anything else?"

"Well, you and Ulrich were the stars of the school's soccer team. And you were failing algebra."

Odd laughed. "Some things just can't change. Is that all?"

I hesitated. I didn't really want to think about Odd asking me out. I mean, it had only been a dream implanted into me to keep me docile, but… I was kind of curious. What would it be like to date Odd, to be his girlfriend?

"Odd, were you serious when you said that you liked me?"

That startled him. He tried to look at me, put I wouldn't let him. "Of course I was. That was probably the most serious I've been all my life."

"Even though I have a ton of baggage? I know that guys don't like those kinds of girls." Now I was looking at him.

"I'm honestly cool with that." Odd shrugged. "Besides, that doesn't really apply to all guys."

"Even guys who've dated every single girl in their grade?"

Odd raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I know that I don't have the greatest track record when it comes to dating-"

"Especially when you cheat on a few of them," I interrupted.

He knew I had him there. He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How do I prove myself to you, then?"

"Well, for one thing, you can never cheat on another girl again-"

"Done."

"-_And _you shouldn't ask out a girl when you barely know them." I glared at him, waiting for his next move.

"You're smart enough to get a scholarship to a school in France, you have good taste in music, you like to read, you don't care about how you look, we like the same kinds of movies and jokes, and to top it all off, you're pretty. What more do I need to know?" Odd added as a joke.

"Okay, that's a pretty good start," I admitted. "But, dude, come on, it's my first week at a new school in a different country. Cut me some slack here."

"Okay, you have a good point there. And besides, I hear its bad luck to start a relationship with someone you like at the beginning of the school year." Odd paused. "When do you think it will be a good time?"

"I have no idea. When it feels right?" I knew how corny that answer sounded. "Hey, we're two stupid teenagers. We have all the time in the world."

"Well, now you know what I think of you. What do you think of me?" Clearly he was trying to change the subject. He succeeded.

"You are actually kind of funny, for one thing." Odd tried to say something, but I pressed forward. "You're also kind to a fault, and I like your carefree attitude. I also think you're kind of weird, but if you weren't, you wouldn't be Odd." Odd smiled at that.

"What I _don't_ like is how you brag about all the amazing things you've done. Yeah, it's fine every once in a while, but not all the freaking time. And I can't stand that you think you're a ladies' man, even when you're not." I had no idea where all that came from, but I was on a roll.

Odd interrupted me. "What _I_ can't stand about _you_ is how reckless you are. Yes, I said reckless," he said after he saw my expression. "You never think about the consequences of your actions, even when it nearly kills you. I also can't stand how freaking stubborn you are. Seriously, it's like if you get an idea in your head, nothing can get you change your mind."

"Since we're being so damn honest here, I think it's safe to say how disgusting your eating habits are!"

"You're never clear about what you really want!"

"What the hell is with that purple splotch in your hair?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's been bugging me for a while, okay?"

"It's completely natural! I've always had it!"

"Like hell it's natural!" The two of us were standing up, nose to nose, yelling at each other for no apparent reason. We were in danger of waking up Devlin and Stacey, and we could hear Aelita yelling at us to quiet down.

And then suddenly, Odd started to laugh. It was completely infectious, and I couldn't help laughing too. Soon, we were on the floor, tears streaming down our faces. We had no reason to laugh, and yet we were.

At some point, Aelita had walked over to us and was now glaring down on us. "What is going on?"

"Nothing." I gasped.

"We were just clearing some things up," Odd added, coughing.

Aelita didn't seem content with the answer, but she let us be. The entire conversation/argument had taken longer than we thought, because no sooner after Aelita left to be with Jeremy again had Yumi and Ulrich returned, arms full of convenience store goodness.

"What happened while we were gone?" Yumi asked, setting down the groceries.

"Nothing." I replied. I looked over at Odd.

"Nothing at all," he concurred.

* * *

><p><em>Hopefully, this clears up anything about Odd and Carter's relationship, at least for the time being. Hey, I can't always promise an action-packed chapter, can I?<em>


	18. Chapter 18: A Terrifying Alliance

Chapter 18: A Terrifying Alliance

"…Well, it does seem that everything is in order," Principal Delmas said, inspecting Devlin and Stacey's transcripts. "Both of you will be fine additions to Kadic Academy. I hope that the two of you will keep up the good work. I welcome you to the Academy."

"Thank you, sir," the two of them said before they walked out of the office. Outside, the rest of us were hanging outside the door, trying not to look suspicious in front of the receptionist.

"How'd it go?" I asked as soon as they walked out. Devlin smiled and gave a thumbs up. Stacey just looked triumphant.

"Awesome! Did he say who you were bordering with?" Ulrich asked as we walked out of the administrative office. "He said we would have our own rooms," Stacey answered. "Thank Gawd. Now I don't have to worry about being forced friends with some random girl."

"You never know, Stacey. You might just make a great new friend." Aelita winked at me. I grinned back.

"Hmm." Stacey studied the two of them. "Yeah, I'll take my chances." She suddenly started to walk away. "Where are you going?" Jeremy asked her.

"Oh, I'd thought I would do some exploring on my own," Stacey said without looking back. "See you guys later!"

"See ya!" Devlin called happily. As soon as she was out of earshot, he smiled. "Finally! Now I don't have to deal with her for the rest of the day!"

"You really don't like her, do you?" Yumi asked. We all walked to our usual bench on campus.

"I had to deal with her constant bitching for over ten years. You'd act the same way too if you were me," Devlin protested.

"That reminds me…" Everyone turned to look at me. "I was in those pods for ten years, just sleeping, right?"

"Right…"

"So for five years or so I was training, right?"

"I think it was a little more than five years, but yes."

"But Vivian told me that my uncle took me out of those things to have a normal childhood-"

"Okay, I can see where you're going with this," Devlin interrupted me. "Yes, you were in a pod for over ten years. But remember, the scientists had to shut down the supercomputer for ten years when the French government got on their case about the project. And we were all, what, around eight years old when we were first put in there? Those pods kept our bodies in a semi-permanent state of suspended animation."

"Okay, you have officially lost me," Odd said, scratching his head.

"He means that in those pods, the three of them grew at a much slower rate than normal humans," Jeremy explained. We were now at the bench. Devlin sat down on it.

"When you were taken out of there, you looked around eleven or twelve years old," Devlin told me. "The scientists erased your memories of that Lyoko and put in some fake memories so you could live normally. Stacey and I couldn't leave like you did, but we occasionally allowed to leave the pods for certain lengths of time for other tests."

"Other tests?" Aelita repeated.

"The scientists wanted to see how we would do in the outside world. That's how we can use our weapons in the real world." Devlin shrugged. "Thanks to that, I now look around fifteen."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Yumi huffed. "How can you use your weapons outside of the virtual world?"

Devlin put up his hands as if he were surrendering. "I don't know how it works; all I know is that it does. If you want an educated guess, you can always ask the scientists, but I seriously doubt you want to do that now."

"This explains so much, and yet so little at the same time." I concluded. "Well, enough about that. I want to see the rest of the school. Who can take me on a small tour?" Devlin jumped off the bench in a sudden burst of energy.

"I can't. I have to get back home." Today was Sunday, so Yumi should have been home with her parents, but she had taken time out of her day to make sure Devlin and Stacey got into Kadic alright.

"Okay, see you later," Ulrich called as she ran home. "So, Devlin, what do you want to see first?"

"Anywhere's fine, I guess," Devlin answered. "That reminds me: I have to go see Mrs. Hertz about that robot competition," Jeremy suddenly said, walking away. "Need any help building your winning robot?" Aelita offered. "It wouldn't be fair if I had an unfair advantage, but thanks for asking." And with that, Jeremy went over to the science wing.

As a group, we decided to show Devlin the gym first, since it was close by. I still couldn't believe that Devlin was able to bounce back to his usual self after yesterday.

**Begin Flashback**

_It was almost dinner time. Odd was complaining about how his stomach was about to cave in on itself, and Jeremy and Aelita had finished the transcripts ages ago. We were all just sitting there, waiting for Devlin and Stacey to wake up. Finally, they began to stir._

"_Son of a bitch," Devlin swore as he tried to sit up. His bones creaked with exhaustion, and his voice sounded rough and scratchy. He blinked at us with sleepy eyes. "The fuck just happened?"_

"_First of all, you need to stop swearing so much. Seriously, you sound like a sailor," I scolded him. "Second of all, you fainted after getting out of the scanners."_

"_But… why?" Stacey asked dumbly. At least she could sit up. _

"_There must be something different in the codes used to create your Lyoko than the ones Franz Hopper used to create his version," Jeremy explained. "You guys are so used to the other Lyoko that you have trouble dealing with our Lyoko."_

"_Didn't feel that way when we were actually on your version," Devlin remarked._

"_Don't worry. The more often you virtualize onto our Lyoko, the less effect it has on you," I said soothingly. Devlin studied me. "Yeah, you definitely know what you're talking about," he said. _

"_What do we do know?" Stacey whimpered. Her arms shook with the effort of keeping herself upright, and despite Devlin's front, he didn't look so good either._

"_We have your transcripts ready so we can enroll you into Kadic," Jeremy said. "I also took the liberty of creating bank accounts so the two of you could get money for clothes and stuff. Don't worry, they already have money in them."_

"_And you did this how?" Yumi asked. Everyone looked kind of shocked that Jeremy would do something so illegal._

"_I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," Jeremy joked. It didn't sound like too much of a joke to me._

"_We'll enroll you tomorrow. In the meantime, you two will stay here and rest up." Jeremy paused. "From the looks of you two, you need it."_

_Stacey slumped back to the floor and promptly fell asleep. Devlin yawned loudly and followed suit. I looked at the others. "Do we have blankets anywhere?"_

"_There should be something in the factory. You, Jeremy, and Aelita stay here. The rest of us will search the factory for blankets and pillows," Ulrich ordered, like he was the leader. He certainly had that air around him, when he wasn't being quiet._

_After about twenty minutes of searching, they came back with musty blankets and rock-hard pillows. I lifted Devlin's and Stacey's heads to put the pillows there, while Aelita draped them with blankets. They didn't wake up once._

_We left them sleeping there to go back to Kadic. When we found them the next morning (sans Yumi), we found them digging into the convenience store goodies Yumi bought for them. They seemed completely fine and were back to normal._

**End Flashback**

As the five of us were giving Devlin the royal tour, we were interrupted by Milly and Tamiya.

"Is it true that you're from England?" Milly immediately asked Devlin, getting all up in his face.

"Yes. Yes I am," Devlin stated. He looked extremely surprised at Milly's behavior. "Um, if you don't mind my asking: who are you?"

"The one asking the questions is Milly, and the one holding the camera is Tamiya," Ulrich answered for them. "We're the reporters for the Kadic news," Milly said cheerfully.

"And how do you guys know about me already? I just got here," Devlin wondered.

"A good reporter never reveals her sources," Tamiya answered, her camera fixed on Devlin.

"… You got it from Sissi, didn't you?" Aelita asked.

"Maybe," Milly answered sheepishly. "But how did she know?" I wondered out loud. "You could ask her," Milly smirk. She knew we wouldn't.

"Anyway, we should probably continue on our tour." I pushed Devlin and Odd away from the two nosy reporters. The gang followed suit; they knew that no matter how nice Milly and Tamiya were, they were ruthless when it came to the truth.

"Oh, wait! We need a scoop!" Milly called out, but we just kept walking. "I take it you don't like talking to those two," Devlin stated matter-of-factly. "It's not that we don't like them," Aelita started. "It's just that they can get a little annoying when it comes to the newspaper," Ulrich finished for her. "So if you don't want all of your secrets revealed to the entire school, we suggest not giving them an interview," Odd smiled.

"Duly noted. And who is this Sissi character?"

"She's the principal's daughter," I explained to Devlin. "But she's so annoying that I don't think she'll ever have real friends."

* * *

><p><strong>Stacey's POV:<strong>

Finally I was away from those losers. I mean, everyone besides Devlin and Carter seemed okay (_especially_ Ulrich and Odd), but Devlin was an egomaniac genius and I've always hated Carter. Just because she was better at fighting than I was didn't mean she was any more special than me.

I've always hated Carter. After her parents died and she was first transferred into the project, all the attention was on _her_. Okay, even I admit that's a totally selfish reason to hate someone. But before she came along, all the attention was on me. They told me that I was the greatest fighter they had ever seen, gave me little candies when I was sad, and basically acted like the family I never had. Devlin had been like an annoying but lovable brother to me at first, but that was before Carter came along.

When Carter started to show signs of greatness, the scientists forgot all about little old me. Yes, she was an amazing fighter and could find the weakness of any monster thrown at her, but that didn't make her special in my eyes. But the scientists didn't feel the same way I did. Instead, they showered her in compliments and gave her new weapons to play with. For someone who was used to getting all the attention and having it taken away... well, it just didn't sit right with me. It was like I had become a ghost. Eventually, it was just Devlin who talked to me like before, but it was clear that he thought Carter was better too. He was no longer the little brother I never had.

Clearly, I have a pretty good reason to not like Carter.

But there was one thing the scientists didn't know about lovely little Carter: while she was physically strong, she was weak mentally. Before she got out of the project, she had cried everyday for the loss of her parents. It got better over time because of all the love the scientists and Devlin gave her, but it still hurt her. It didn't matter how fast she could bounce back from an attack; if one of her little friends suddenly hated her or died or something, she would never recover.

And that's all I had to do. But it was only easy to say; to actually do it, now that was another story.

I looked around. I was close to the mess hall, and I noticed a girl wearing a skirt even shorter than mine bossing her two followers around.

"What do you mean it won't work?" she yelled at a short, pimply boy with a ridiculous hairstyle.

"The boy mumbled something, but I was too far away to hear. I decided to walk closer.

"Then how is my Ulrich supposed to fall in love with me?" the girl screamed at the poor boy. The other one just looked at the two of them with a vacant expression on his face.

"Ulrich? You mean the boy who's always hanging around that Carter girl?" I asked her when I was closer to them.

"Yes, but he was hanging around Yumi before," she said. She eyed me suspiciously. "Why do you care?"

"Well, I don't like some of the people he hangs around with. Of course, I have no interest in Ulrich, but I don't like Carter." Sissi was still looking at me suspiciously, but she seemed a little relieved when I told her the truth.

"Are you saying you have a plan?"

"Not exactly. But together, maybe we can find a way to get both of our goals." I gave her a sweet smile.

Sissi walked over to me, a huge smile on her face. "I like the way you think."

"Seems like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." I kept smiling at her. This idiot had no idea I was just using her. But she seemed devious enough to keep around after I destroyed Carter.

She would never see it coming.

* * *

><p><em>I love how Stacey just steals the show. I also love how she was able to create her own back story without my help.<em>

_What do you guys think Stacey and Sissi should do first? Remember, this story is rated T, so keep the ideas tame._


	19. Extra Chapter 1: PlanningCheerleading

Extra Chapter #1: Planning and Cheerleading

…_I have writers' block._

_I seriously just made this chapter up on the fly. And here I thought that if a school break came along I'd get a lot more done. _

_Now, thanks to writers' block and homework, I can't put up a decent chapter._

_Well, I'll leave you guys to review this. Maybe it's better than I originally thought._

_Also, thank you to _**Shiningheart of Thunderclan**_ for giving me the idea of having Stacey make a name for herself. I had already thought of giving her lackeys and making her a cheerleader, but your idea really clinched it together, though it doesn't really look that way when you think about it._

…_Do you think some people will take it the wrong way and accuse me of plagiarism?_

* * *

><p>"So tell me, Stacey, when are you actually going to start your plan?" Sissi demanded to know. The two of them were in Sissi's room, with Stacey sitting on the bed and Sissi standing up, glaring at her "friend."<p>

"Calm down, Sissi. If we rush things we could botch the entire operation."

"What exactly is your plan? I mean, I know it includes Carter, but…"

"First, I need to make a name for myself here. I need people to think that I'm too sweet to do anything bad. To do that, I need people to back me up when I need them." Stacey stood up. Sissi wasn't necessary for that part of the plan, but Stacey would need her for the later phase.

"Well, I don't know about the last part, but if you really want to prove yourself to people, you could always try cheerleading as a start. The tryouts are coming soon."

Stacey thought about that. It was true that she was incredibly good at gymnastics (the training the scientists gave her was starting to pay off), but did she really want people to think she was vapid, perky, and snarky?

Okay, not all cheerleaders were like that, but Stacey had grown up watching movies from the 1990s. That was all she had to go on.

"Hmm, that may be a good idea," Stacey smirked as she examined Sissi's wardrobe. "I may have an idea on how to get Ulrich to start liking you as a friend."

"Why are we starting there? And don't look at my stuff!" Sissi grabbed the skirt Stacey was examining and shoved it back into her armoire.

"Ulrich doesn't like you as you are now. We can't just force him to like you or the relationship would be totally fake. And besides, you have great taste in clothing," Stacey added to appease the idiot. She needed Sissi to do some of her dirty work, and Stacey had to start by being nice to her to do it.

"You really think so?" God, this fool was easy to please.

"Yes, but back to the subject at hand," Stacey hurried on. "If Ulrich or anyone from his little group asks for a favor, do it without asking for anything in return. Just be a good person to them in general, and Ulrich will start thinking you as a friend."

"A little too slow for my tastes," Sissi sniffed.

Stacey sighed. "Sissi, do you know why your earlier plans have failed?"

"Umm…"

"Because you tried to hurry and force Ulrich to go out with you. Learn from your mistakes. This could be the right way for you," Stacey said, talking to Sissi like she was a young child.

Sissi sighed in defeat. "Okay, if you think it'll work. But what does your plan have to do with Carter?"

"I want to make her suffer. You see, Carter has pissed me off far too many times, and I want her to feel the same pain I felt," Stacey said vaguely. She didn't need to tell Sissi the entire story; there was no point in that.

"What exactly did she do to you?"

"I… never really had any friends, so when I did get any, I always treasured them. But then Carter was always there, stealing them away. She told them lies, saying that I was a horrible person. I just want her to know how that feels." It wasn't a complete lie; Carter did take all her favorite people away, just not in the way Stacey described.

Sissi thought about that. It was true that Carter was a total bitch; she did, after all, befriend the people she wanted to hang out with. But from what she knew about her, Carter wasn't the type to be all sneaky. In fact, she was just the opposite: brutally honest. If she didn't like someone, she would tell that to their face, not spread rumors. But then again, Sissi didn't know Carter all that well. Perhaps it would be better to wait and see.

"I don't know Carter as well as you do, but she doesn't seem to be the type to spread rumors like that. Then again, looks can be deceiving," Sissi added for Stacey's benefit. "But I don't really hate Carter. I mean, I don't like her, but she's not after my Ulrich, so I can't really hate her."

Stacey nodded. She had expected as much. "Well, I see no point in spreading mean rumors about her just yet. First, I need to make a name for myself, gain people's affection and trust." Something occurred to Stacey. "Why do those two follow you around?"

"You mean Herve and Nicholas? Well, I'm pretty sure Herve has a crush on me, but I'm not sure about Nicholas," Sissi answered. She was sitting in her desk chair, while Stacey was sitting on the bed again.

"Did they do your dirty work when it came to Ulrich?"

"No, that was all me. But they did help me with some other stuff, like cheating in that robot competition against Jeremy, and helping me to sneak out of my room to get to that party…" Sissi began to list some of the things Herve and Nicholas had done for her, but Stacey was no longer listening.

Followers would be good. Sissi would be instrumental to her plan, but she wasn't enough. Sure, Stacey could also use Sissi's lackeys, but they might not listen to her for long. If Stacey had a few people to do her bidding, then she herself wouldn't have to dirty her own hands. Yes, followers would be very good, indeed.

"Tell me, Sissi, when these tryouts start," Stacey suddenly said, interrupting Sissi. Cheerleading was just the beginning. A sinister smile played on Stacey's lips as she imagined Carter's devastated face.

Whoever said revenge wasn't worth it was very wrong.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, I'm really hoping my writers' block doesn't last long. But to be honest, I have no idea what Stacey's entire plan is. I know she wants to destroy Carter, and I know why Sissi is important to it, but I have no idea how she is going to execute it.<em>

_I have an inkling on how I should continue this, but for now I won't mention the plan for the next couple of chapters. Hopefully by the time the plan comes to a boil, my writers' block is gone and I'll know what going on._


	20. Chapter 19: Normalcy is Overrated

Chapter 19: Normality is Overrated

_I just had a little bit of inspiration for the next chapter. Unfortunately this is the only time I'll be able to upload a new chapter for a while, since mid-winter break is almost over and I have to read a bunch of books for school._

…_Sometimes, school just bites._

_Also, I do not own Code Lyoko or Fall Out Boy, even though I wish I did._

* * *

><p><strong>One Month Later<strong>

Odd called it a miracle.

Jeremy told him it was just a matter of time.

Ulrich told them both to shut up because they were in the library and Jim was giving them the evil eye.

Zero XANA attacks. No evil scientists trying to kidnap their test subjects. One month of normal school time. At least, normal for the Lyoko warriors.

Carter had gotten used to her classes and, to her amazement, people were coming up to her and trying to be nice to her. Back at her old school, if someone was trying to be nice to you, they wanted something from you. Here in France-or at least Kadic- they actually wanted to get to know Carter and at least try to be her friend. The people who liked her did so because not only was she brutally honest, she was also modest about her brain power. By the end of September, she had numerous acquaintances that she had to remember. Not that she was complaining. According to Carter, it was better to have a lot of people be nice to you, even if they only wanted homework answers from you. Another amazing thing happened: guys had started to ask her out. Carter had always known she was pretty- she was related to Vivian, after all- but this was overwhelming. Sure, guys had wanted to go out with Carter in San Diego, but they just wanted her for her looks. Here, they at least tried to get to know her. But Carter always told them the truth: that she had her eye on another guy. Most took it rather well, thankful that she was being honest with them, and not just making something up. All in all, everything was grand.

Devlin finally got his chance to see the supercomputer. Naturally, he was impressed by what Franz Hopper created. By the end of the week, he had learned all that Jeremy taught him to learn: how to work the scanners, virtualize/devirtualize someone, virtualize the rides onto Lyoko… in just a few short days, Devlin could be trusted with the supercomputer and all the machinations. (It seemed that everyone forgot he was a boy genius.) He also abused the bank account Jeremy had set up for him, buying new clothes, some school supplies, and a few things to make his room at Kadic a little more homey. Now Jeremy and Devlin were developing new outfits for the Lyoko warriors, though Devlin and Carter had both said that they didn't need the upgrade. They had a point there; both of them were plenty strong enough.

Ulrich and Yumi were still the same: even though everyone knew they should be going out, they still refused to-or, to be more specific, Yumi just wanted to stay friends, while Ulrich wanted to take it to the next level.

Jeremy and Aelita were also the same. Because Jeremy and Devlin were spending so much time at the factory developing new programs and stuff, Aelita had decided to create a playlist for the up and coming Halloween dance; the principal himself had wanted Aelita to DJ the dance, since the majority of the student population of the school wanted to dance to her epic music.

Odd had proven true of his earlier promise to make sure Carter had the time of her life. They often spent time together with some of the Lyoko warriors, and sometimes they could be seen together in Odd and Ulrich's room, listening to music or watching some comedy for the fun of it. Because of Carter, he had gotten into reading-though it was mostly graphic novel versions of awesome books, like the _Maximum Ride _series by James Patterson. Because of the amount of time they spent together, kids have started rumors that they were dating, which made Odd a very happy boy indeed.

Stacey had made a miscalculation when she made Sissi her "friend." She had not known that Sissi was possibly the single most hated person at Kadic, and that being close to her would probably get you on a lot of people's shit list. But that wasn't a total problem; with her new head cheerleader status, good attitude, and awesome clothes-courtesy of Jeremy- people liked her well enough when Sissi wasn't around. Stacey now even had her own little lackeys: Paul Gaillard, a boy with glasses, green clothing, and a hairstyle similar to Odd's, and Jean-Baptiste Pujol, a personal friend of Herve's who sucked at sports. They liked her because not only was she pretty, she also treated them as human beings and not as her own personal servants, unlike Sissi and her so-called "friends." Unfortunately for Stacey, she had made another miscalculation: Carter was well-liked among the student population. She found that out when she tried to spread rumors about her enemy. The people who heard it instantly disregarded the falsifications: even if they had never met Carter, they knew how good of a person she was. This proved problematic to Stacey's plan; she had first wanted to destroy Carter's reputation before stealing her friends from her.

But no matter; while Stacey wasn't as smart as Devlin or Carter-_especially_ Devlin- she made up for it in cunning. She would come up with something sooner or later.

And besides, the Halloween Dance was coming up. Surely she would come up with a despicable plan by then.

* * *

><p><strong>Carter's POV:<strong>

"I'm telling you, you should at least try it," Odd pleaded. We were both in the band room because Odd had told me there was something for me to see. I thought that he was going to show me all the acoustic guitars Kadic had (was it normal for a high school to have some of those? It wasn't back in San Diego.), but instead he had pointed to the old drum set that the Kadic music club rarely used. I had thought that he was trying to recreate the Pop Rock Progressives, a band he had started a few years back, but apparently not.

Okay, I admit, I have always been able to play the drums, but I wasn't as serious as I was back when I was eight. If I did play, it was mostly just songs that I liked to drum along to. Because of the rarity of that, my uncle had tried to get rid of my old drum set. I never let him. I'm not exactly sure why, though; I mean, it always made me sad whenever I thought the fact that my parents could never see hear play anymore, but I had always felt drawn to that drum set, so I had taken care of it like it was my own flesh and blood.

I don't think Odd knew that.

"You do know that I can still play the drums, right?"

Odd stopped begging. "But I thought you said you quit."

"I quit the _school_ band; I never said I stopped playing."

"So… does that mean you can play a Fall Out Boy song?" Odd perked up.

"…I've rubbed off on you, haven't I?"

"Are you going to play or not?"

"Fine, fine." I walked over to the drum set. It was well taken care of, and the drumsticks looked new. I already knew what song I wanted to play.

I knew that I wasn't the best of drummers. I mean, I never really had a formal education in it, seeing that I never bothered to get a tutor. But I could mimic a song pretty well. I started to play the one song I knew very well, the words echoing in my head.

_It's all a game of this or that, now versus then__  
><em>_better off against worse for wear__  
><em>_And you're someone who knows someone who knows someone I once knew__  
><em>_And I just want to be a part of this_

_The road outside my house is paved with good intentions__  
><em>_Hired a construction crew, 'cause it's hell on the engine__  
><em>_You are the dreamer and we are the dream.__  
><em>_I could write it better than you ever felt it._

_So hum hallelujah,__  
><em>_Just off the key of reason__  
><em>_I thought I loved you__  
><em>_It was just how you looked in the light.__  
><em>_A teenage vow in a parking lot__  
><em>_"Till tonight do us part"__  
><em>_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

_My words are my faith to hell with our good name.__  
><em>_A remix of your guts-your insides X-rayed__  
><em>_And one day we'll get nostalgic for disaster__  
><em>_we're a bull, your ears are just a china shop_

_I love you in the same way, there's a chapel in a hospital__  
><em>_One foot in your bedroom and one foot out the door__  
><em>_Sometimes we take chances, sometimes we take pills.__  
><em>_I could write it better than you ever felt it._

_So hum hallelujah,__  
><em>_Just off the key of reason__  
><em>_I thought I loved you__  
><em>_It was just how you looked in the light.__  
><em>_A teenage vow in a parking lot__  
><em>_"Till tonight do us part"__  
><em>_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

_Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu...__  
><em>_Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu...__  
><em>_(Hum hallelujah (Hum hallelujah), hum hallelujah (Hum hallelujah))_

_A teenage vow in a parking lot__  
><em>_"Till tonight do us part"__  
><em>_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

_So hum hallelujah,__  
><em>_Just off the key of reason__  
><em>_I thought I loved you__  
><em>_It was just how you looked in the light.__  
><em>_A teenage vow in a parking lot (Hum hallelujah)__  
><em>_"Till tonight do us part"__  
><em>_Love in a parking lot (Hum hallelujah)__  
><em>_"Till tonight do us part"__  
><em>_A teenage vow in a parking lot__  
><em>_"Till tonight do us part"__  
><em>_I sing the blues and swallow them too_

* * *

><p>I was sweating, but a huge grin was splattered over my face. Odd was clapping and cheering like a maniac.<p>

"That was awesome! That sounded almost exactly like the song on the CD!"

So Odd had heard the mistakes too. I hadn't practiced since I had to leave my drum set back in San Diego-my uncle better not have touched that thing!- and I didn't even know there was a drum set here before today. But no matter how good I was, there was no way I could perfectly mimic any song by Fall Out Boy. I wasn't good enough to do _that_.

I got off the drums and immediately felt the soreness in my arms and torso. Man, I was _really_ out of shape!

"Something wrong?" Odd asked, noticing my pained expression.

Nothing, it's… it's just been a while since I've played the drums." I flexed my arms and winced. Not a good idea to do that.

And then I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. It was a text from Jeremy, telling us about an activated tower.

"We have to go to the factory," I told Odd. We both ran out of the band room and out of the building. It didn't look like there was a XANA attack…

And then I saw the bodies.

Thankfully, they weren't dead bodies. It was just a bunch a bunch of students lying on the ground, as if they were asleep. And then I saw the green smoke.

"Something tells me that's the cause of all this." Odd turned to where I was pointing. And without a further ado, we both turned and ran to the forest.

Odd closed the lid of the manhole so the smoke couldn't get to us. He climbed down to join me at the bottom of the sewers.

Both scooters were gone; Jeremy and Aelita were most likely already at the factory.

"Do Devlin and Stacey have rides to get to the factory?" I asked suddenly. Honestly, the thought had never occurred to me.

"I don't think so. If they did we probably would know about it," Odd said as he grabbed his skateboard. "You coming?"

"You know it," I said as I grabbed mine. And with that we rode down the sewers to the factory.

* * *

><p><em>I would have written more, but I'm trying to keep my stories under 3,000 words.<em>

_Cookies to anyone who listened to that song just to follow the lyrics! You get even more cookies if you love Fall Out Boy!_

_*The name of the song is Hum Hallelujah, if you couldn't figure it out before._


	21. Chapter 20: Devlish

Chapter 20: Devilish

_I would have gotten this up faster, but I've been feeling sick all week. That, and the Internet browser on my laptop has been wonky._

_My schedule had changed once again, so I have no idea when I'll be able to post. Just expect a new chapter once a week, okay?_

* * *

><p>"What's the situation, Jeremy?" I demanded from the young genius. He swirled around in his chair to face us. Devlin was right beside him, keeping an eye on the screen.<p>

"Good timing, Carter, Odd. Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi are already on Lyoko. They haven't fought anything yet." Jeremy paused. "What's the situation at school?"

"A freaky fog made all the students faint," Odd replied. Jeremy nodded while Devlin looked puzzled. "Does this normally happen when XANA attacks?" the redheaded prodigy asked.

"It's usually something different each time, but it always has something to do with the end of the world," Odd corrected.

Something occurred to me. "Is Stacey still out there?"

Devlin made a face. "She called and told us she was on her way, but that was a while ago. She's probably still with Sissi."

I nodded. Over the last month, Stacey had befriended the school's so-called "diva" for some reason. The rest of us had tried to talk her out of it, but she refused to listen. Devlin figured she was planning something, and I couldn't help but agree with him. I may not have known Stacey for that long, but I knew her type.

"We'll head to the scanners," Odd concluded before pushing the big red button. The elevator doors closed, and we fell to the final floor of the factory.

* * *

><p>"The others are in the mountain sector. There aren't any monsters there yet, but you should hurry," Jeremy informed the two as Carter and Odd climbed into their respective scanners.<p>

"Scanner: Odd. Scanner: Carter. Transfer: Odd. Transfer: Carter. Virtualization."

"Do you always say that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The whole 'scanner Odd, scanner Yumi' thing. Can't you do something different for a change?"

"When you have complete control over the supercomputer, you can say it however you want. Until then, we do things my way."

"But-"

"Shut up, Devlin."

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the two of us were safely on the mountain sector before I noticed the watch on my wrist.<p>

Well, it _looked_ like a watch at first glance. But when I studied it, it wasn't a type of clock at all. It was a silver band with a silver bat on it, similar to the one on my chest. It didn't look like much…

"I added a few things to your weaponry in case XANA decided to play unfairly," Devlin's smooth voice rang out over the mountains. "Odd, instead of ten arrows in your hand- er, perhaps I should say _paw_- you now have exactly one hundred. Ulrich had an extra katana, Yumi has two extra fans, Aelita now can aim better with her energy blasts, and Carter…"

"Yeah?"

"We gave you a shield in case you get in a fight with Wilhelm."

"_William_. And I told you I didn't need an upgrade."

"Well, we gave you one anyway. Just remember to wave your hand over the bracelet when you need it and tap the shield when you're done with it, okay?"

"Fine. But where are the others?"

Devlin was about to give us the coordinates, but he was knocked aside. Odd and I could hear a scuffle. There was a shout and some mild swearing, and Odd began to look anxious. He shot me look that asked, _What is going on over there? _I shrugged my shoulders, but I was afraid that XANA had paid a little visit to the boys in the computer room.

"The coordinates are twenty degrees southeast," Jeremy said, sounding out of breath.

"Uh, what exactly is going on over there?" Odd asked hesitantly.

"Well-OW! Hey!" Jeremy shrieked as his head set was jerked off his head. "Apparently, your friend doesn't like it when he's not calling the shots," Devlin snarled. I think he was mostly talking to Jeremy.

"I think we should get going," I said sheepishly. "Do you think we can get there without our rides?" Odd asked as he turned to the east.

We could still hear the two geniuses arguing. "I don't think we have a choice." I followed Odd as we ran at high speed to the nearest tower. It was strange that I could instantly tell which direction I was going in. It made me wish that I had this ability back on Earth. But I didn't have the time to think that. I wanted to try out my upgrade, see how much damage I could do.

_Whoa, stop there, _I chided myself. _We don't need you to go a killing spree, do we? _

Before I could deduce who the hell I was talking to inside my head, I saw Ulrich and Yumi fighting some krabs. Aelita was almost to the tower, but there were a few hornets blocking her way.

"You take the hornets. I got the krabs," I told Odd. "Sweet! I get to try out the new laser arrows!" Odd whooped as he ran to save Aelita. I ran in the other direction to help Yumi and Ulrich.

There were exactly three krabs. Yumi was using nearly all her fans, but was having trouble killing one because a second was trying to take her out. Ulrich was baiting the third, super-sprinting all over the place to get the seafood platter angry. Ulrich flaunted his second katana; I hoped that when it came down to it, he would be a match against William.

Just then, Yumi let out a yelp. One of the krabs had hit her in the leg, and the two of them surrounded Yumi as she was kneeling on the ground, nursing her wound. I rushed over, daggers drawn. I jumped onto the nearest one and jabbed one of my daggers into the eye of XANA. The other krab saw me and tried to shoot at me, but I leaped over to the other krab and landed on its shell just as it shot at the first krab.

The shot knocked the krab a few feet away, so Yumi wasn't affected when the krab finally exploded. I quickly dug both of my daggers into the second krab, pulled the daggers out, and jumped off. I landed in front of Yumi and waved my hand over my left wrist, where the watch was. A silver disk instantly popped out, five feet in diameter. I used the shield to protect the two of us as the second krab exploded.

I turned to Yumi. She was up again, shaking off the shock of getting hurt. "I get an upgrade and I could barely use it," she grumbled.

"Don't beat yourself up. XANA likes to play dirty."

"True. Awesome shield, by the way."

I examined it. It was surprisingly lightweight, and despite taking the brunt of the krab explosion, it looked shiny and new. The only problem with it was that I wouldn't be able to use both of my daggers at once when I had it out. Sure, my defense would be covered, but defense wouldn't defeat William.

Speaking of that son of a bitch, where was he?

Ulrich super-sprinted over to us as I tapped my shield and watched it go back into the watch (is 'watch' a good word to use? Whatever, I'll keep using it). Ulrich had finished terminating the last krab, and he looked extremely pleased with his new toy. "You guys okay?"

"I'll be fine, but I wonder how many life points I have left," Yumi said as she looked towards the sky. "Jeremy, are you there?"

We heard the sounds of a fight, a lot more swearing, and an evil laugh. There was a coughing sound, and we could hear the meek voice of Jeremy as he said, "Stacey's been XANAfied. Yumi, you have twenty life points left. Carter has one hundred, and Odd and Ulrich both have ninety."

We looked over at Odd. He had just finished off the last hornet and was cheering about his victory when who shows up?

William, with two tarantulas, that's who. They were both blocking the way to the tower, and Aelita had to turn around and hide behind a rock so the tarantula blasts wouldn't get to her.

The three of us ran over to Odd, who was near Aelita, trying to cover her. "Carter, can you use your shield as defense?" Odd asked, his arm raised and tensed. He was prepared to fire a laser arrow at any on the opposing team.

"I can, put I don't know if it can take a blast from one of those monsters." I peered over the rock. William was directly in front of the tower, sneering and beckoning us to attack him. The tarantulas stood guard on either side of him, waiting to attack the Lyoko warriors. Not a new tactic, but a deadly one nonetheless.

"I'll be the first to attack," Yumi stated. "I have the least life points, and Jeremy and Devlin might need my help with dealing with Stacey," she added before Ulrich could protest otherwise.

"We'll take it from there," Aelita said, giving Ulrich a look. And before any of us knew it, Yumi was suicide charging towards the tarantulas.

Even William was stunned by that, but not for long. He took out his sword and ran, but not at Yumi. No, he was aiming at the rest of us.

Yumi was able to dodge all of the lasers and swing two of her fans at the tarantula on her right of the tower. She had been close enough for one fan to hit the tarantula on the eye. Just as the fans were returning to her, the tarantula exploded, but the other was still very much alive.

Yumi dodged the first laser, but not the second. In a moment, she had pixilated, and was now back in the real world.

"Ulrich, you take Captain Cocky. Carter and Odd, you take out the tarantula. When I see an opening, I'll take it," Aelita ordered us. We all nodded grimly, and then I jumped into the line of fire. I waved a hand over my watch, and the shield popped out. I ran towards the next tarantula with Odd in tow. I didn't see Ulrich take on William; I was too focused on not getting devirtualized.

I didn't have much time; the shield was giving out after the third laser. "Odd!" I called out warningly. A forth laser- and the shield had been devirtualized.

"That's it, Odd. Take the shot!" I yelled at him as I drew my daggers. I swear, that tarantula was laughing at me.

And then I heard a whizzing sound go past my ear and hit the tarantula's weakness. Too late did I realize that it was Odd's laser arrow. XANA's last monster exploded.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Odd cheered. "Odd the Magnificent does it again!"

I smirked at his bragging as I put away my daggers. "Let's go see how Ulrich's doing."

He was doing pretty well, actually. With his extra katana, Ulrich could easily attack and defend William's Zweihander. Aelita had seen a chance and crept past William. She was now running to the tower's entrance. For the first time in his evil career, William didn't notice.

Odd and I watched as Aelita safely entered the tower. And then we turned our attention to William. "How are your arrows? Do you think you can get a shot at him?" I asked Odd.

He looked to William, then back at me. "What a devilish mind you have there." Odd pretended to be shocked as he prepared to fire. "He has his back to us. This should be easy." And then Odd fired a single laser arrow at William's back.

William howled in pain as Ulrich took one last desperate jab at William's torso. But before the saber could connect, William disappeared into black smoke and vanished. I looked at the tower. It was white, the color of neutrality.

I high-fived Odd. "Do you think Jeremy can devirtualize us?" Ulrich asked as he ran towards us. "Jeremy, are you there?" Odd called out to his friend.

"I'm here, guys," Jeremy croaked. He sounded like he had been smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. "I'm doing a return to the past…now."

And then Lyoko was swallowed in white nothingness.

* * *

><p>Yumi had thought that with Devlin and his fighting skills around, she didn't have to worry too much about XANA attacking the geniuses controlling the supercomputer.<p>

She was wrong.

When she arrived to the supercomputer room after being devirtualized, she saw a terrible scene: Jeremy sprawled on the floor, coughing up spittle and nearly dry heaving, and Devlin and Stacey duking it out with their bare hands.

As Yumi ran to help Jeremy, she saw the battle. Stacey had all the signs of being XANAfied, with the eyes and terrible grunts showing her possession. Devlin had not taken out his energy guns, possibly out of fear of damaging the supercomputer. Both of them were using moves from karate, kung fu, kickboxing, and even Pencak Silat.

Those scientists really knew how to train their test subjects.

But no matter how awesome Devlin was at fighting, he was tiring, while Stacey still had plenty of energy. Yumi was very glad when Aelita deactivated the tower and Jeremy had enough strength to do a return to the past.

Before the world travelled back a day, Yumi looked at the scene before her: Jeremy nearly passing out in front of the supercomputer, Stacey slumped on the floor, and Devlin looking fierce after his battle.

Yumi closed her eyes, and only one thought entered her mind before the white nothingness came over her.

_Sometimes, it doesn't pay to get out of bed._

* * *

><p><em>Preview of the coming chapter:<em>

_Odd contemplates his Halloween costume._

_Jeremy thinks of a possible XANA motive._

_And Aelita goes steam punk._

_I know a few of you have been wondering about Odd and Carter's relationship, and don't fret; there might be some action next chapter. No promises, though._

_So what should Odd's costume be? I have a few ideas, but I want to hear your thoughts on this. And remember, this is Odd we're talking about. It obviously has to loud and flamboyant. _


	22. Chapter 21: Pairing Up Because We Can

Chapter 21: Pairing Up Because We Can

"So what are going to be on Halloween?" I asked Odd. We were both in his dorm room because Aelita was mixing some tunes for the Halloween dance and we didn't want to bother her. I was sitting on the floor, trying to draw Kiwi napping while Odd was on the computer, looking up some costumes.

"I can't find anything that looks good and is at a reasonable price," Odd grumbled.

"Of course not, it's almost Halloween. _Everything _is going to be overpriced," I told him as I was finishing up my sketch. It didn't look half-bad, if I do say so myself.

Then I thought of something. "Why don't you go as your Lyoko avatar?"

"That's my back-up costume," Odd said curtly.

"Why is it back-up?"

"Because if I wear it, people will think I dressed up as a big purple cat. They can't see the awesomeness behind it," Odd added as he swirled around in his chair.

"I plan on going in my Lyoko costume."

Odd stopped swirling in his wheelie chair to face me. "You are? I thought you said you hated that outfit."

"I did at first, but it grew on me," I admitted. "Besides, I have to admit it's kind of cute," I added as I closed my sketchbook.

Odd stared at me for a moment, then grinned. "So if we both go in our Lyoko costumes, then we'll be a pair."

"Not that anyone besides the gang will see it that way. You said it yourself: no one will see the awesomeness behind it." I smirked at the thought of the two of us going to the dance in those costumes. Sure, people would point and laugh, but that was because they didn't see what the costumes represented. If they really knew…

"Okay, that's true, but we could just say it's an inside joke." I looked at him and thought about it. Yeah, it could work.

"So, it's agreed then. We'll be the Lyoko warriors for Halloween. Do you have your costume already?"

"Most of it. I just can't find a purple tail or matching cat ears." Odd looked back to the Halloween website he was just browsing. "And I don't think it'll be on this website. How about you, Carter?"

"I've already bought the boots and the dress. I just need to sew on the silver stuff." My brow furrowed. "I also need to learn how to sew."

Odd laughed. "Are you bringing fake daggers too?"

"I seriously doubt they'll let me through the front doors with weapons strapped to me."

"Good point. I better not add any laser arrows to my costume then." I snickered.

"What?"

"I can just imagine you going around the gym, yelling out 'Laser arrow!' at the top of your lungs with everyone staring at you like your crazy."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny," Odd said sardonically. He fell silent.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

"Yes."

"I already know that you said that you wanted to take thing slow, but-" And then he realized what I just said and his eyes bugged out. "Did you just say yes?"

"Yes." I raised an eyebrow.

"But I thought you said you didn't want to date until everything had been sorted out!" Odd sputtered, jumping out of his chair.

"No, I said that I was the new girl and I wanted to take things slowly as I got used to Kadic. While I'm still technically new here, I've more or less gotten used to life in France. Therefore, I feel ready to date. And just because we don't have the scientist thing worked out doesn't mean I don't want to date occasionally." Your move, Odd.

Odd stared at me with his mouth agape and shook his head. "I will never understand you."

"I'm a girl. You are _never_ going to understand me."

Odd gave a slight nod like he was agreeing with me and then his eyes widened yet again. "So that means we're going out?"

"Technically, yes."

Odd gave a shout and started reaching for his phone. "Who are you calling?" I asked him.

"Ulrich. I got to tell him this," Odd answered as he punched in the speed dial for Ulrich's phone number.

"Do you think you can tell him to hurry up with Yumi? Seriously, why aren't those too going out already?" I started to get up from the floor and grimaced. I had been sitting in an uncomfortable position for too long.

Odd stopped smiling and put down the phone. 'They can't go out."

"Why not?"

"Before you came, Yumi and Ulrich had an agreement to just stay friends. Or more like, Yumi told him they were going to stay friends, and Ulrich just nodded along."

"But… why?"

"Well, William had a thing for Yumi, so obviously Ulrich would be jealous. So then Ulrich countered with talking to other girls to get Yumi jealous, which, by the way, totally worked."

"So basically one day one was jealous at the other, and the next day, vice versa," I summed up.

"It's a little more complex than that, but that's basically the gist of things." Odd put away his cell phone, the phone call forgotten.

"So I take it Ulrich isn't going to step up to the plate and just ask her out then." I crossed my arms. "Well, that just bites."

"It really does, but it's their problem, not ours," Odd concluded. For a second there I thought we would just stay in that silent room until one of us said something, but then there was a hurried knock on the door.

I opened it and saw Aelita there, out of breath and with a shine in her eyes. "What do you guys think of steam punk?" She asked us without a single hello.

"Uh, it's a cool genre to use when drawing anime?" I guessed. I really didn't know much about the subject; I read a Wikipedia article about it, but I doubt that counts as real information.

"They have awesome goggles and use steam-powered machines in Victorian London?" Odd guessed.

"Okay, so you both know the main idea behind it. Well, I decided to go steam punk for Halloween!" Aelita cried happily.

"That's awesome! But why didn't you just call us to tell us this instead of running to us?" I asked the obvious.

"You forgot your phone," Aelita said simply and handed my cell to me. It was a sleek black cell phone that my uncle got me so we could stay in touch even overseas. I blushed as I pocketed it.

"So how's the music coming along?" Odd asked, thankfully changing the subject.

I didn't even know it was possible for Aelita to get even happier, but she somehow managed it. "It's going great! I can't believe how much work I got done, even though the dance is two weeks away!"

"Yeah, well, now that Jeremy has Devlin to help him with Lyoko and other stuff, you must have a lot of time to yourself," Odd said. Aelita's cheerful expression went out a few watts, though her smile never left her face.

I glared at Odd. He immediately realized his blunder and tried to save face. "I mean, it's not that he doesn't want you around, it's just that he figured you might be busy with the dance and all. That must be why he hasn't asked for your help recently."

"Yeah," I agreed, even though it had been a month since Jeremy had asked for Aelita's help. Nevertheless, Aelita brightened up, even though she could clearly tell we were faking it.

"So are you guys going to the dance?" She asked us. She was also a subject changer.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I said.

"Are you guys going together?" Aelita smirked, a nasty surprise on her pretty, elfin face.

"Yes," we both concurred at the same time.

Aelita blinked, taken off guard. "You two sure took your sweet time. I would have thought that Odd would taken the initiative a long time ago."

"Don't you have music to create, Aelita?" Odd asked, his a face a furious red. Aelita giggled and left. I closed the door and stared at Odd. "Huh. I knew you were fast when it came to girls, but I never knew how fast."

"A guy can change, you know," Odd grumbled as he went back to looking for purple cat ears. I shook my head, but I was smiling. Odd certainly had changed his dating habits, and I was proud of him.

And of course, the phone rang.

To be more specific, my phone rang. It was Jeremy, telling me that he had an idea of what XANA's next evil plan was.

"Cool. So we'll meet you at the factory?" I asked him. Odd had given up on his Halloween search for the day and was listening in on the conversation.

"Yes. And I take it Odd's with you?" I swear I could hear Jeremy laughing.

"Yes, what's it to you?" I snapped back.

Jeremy took the defensive. "Nothing, just get Aelita. I'll call Yumi and Ulrich and we'll see you soon. Just don't take any detours, you two." Before I could retort back, he hung up.

"Jeremy seems to be in a very good mood today," I said as I snapped my phone shut. "Why's that?" Odd asked, heading to the door.

"He thinks he found XANA's next move."

"He did?"

"He thinks he does. Anyway, we have to get Aelita and go to the factory."

"What about Stacey?"

"What about her?"

"Do we have to get her too?"

"Jeremy didn't say so, so I guess not." We were racing down the hallway to get to the stairs. Luckily, Aelita had not been walking away very quickly so we were able to grab her and whisk her away to the factory.

* * *

><p>"Other supercomputers?" Ulrich asked in disbelief. We were all in the supercomputer room at the factory, including Stacey. Despite her recent XANA possession, she looked healthy and had just finished cheerleading practice with Sissi. Yumi and Ulrich had been nearby, so they had taken Stacey after she had finished changing. According to Yumi, the two of them had been talking about their Halloween costumes. Odd and I had exchanged looks at that. Forget friendship. Those two were perfect for each other, not matter what Yumi said.<p>

"Yes," Jeremy continued. "Devlin and I believe that XANA wants to destroy Lyoko once and for all."

"We already know that XANA has escaped Lyoko using the keys he got from Aelita. Because he is now free of his prison, his attacks are exponentially stronger," Devlin recapped. Aelita looked pale; she was probably remembering her death back on Carthage. I put my arm around her in hopes of comforting her.

"But XANA has to live somewhere. And since it can split itself into multiple fragments, it can take over and live in numerous supercomputers all over the world," Jeremy went on.

"With more supercomputers at his disposal, he can generate enough power to destroy this Lyoko and the other version," Devlin frowned. He really hated his experiences as a lab rat.

"But why does XANA hate this other version so much?" Yumi demanded to know. "Seriously, has this ever been established?"

"The scientists viewed XANA as a threat to humanity itself," Devlin explained. "Despite how terrible the scientists are, their original goal was to preserve the human race. Obviously they would try to eliminate XANA, who wants to end humanity."

"Um…" We all turned toward Odd. He was raising his hand, like we were still in class. "Can we call them a different name? Calling them just 'the scientists' doesn't really make them seem like bad guys. And we can't keep calling the other Lyoko just 'the other Lyoko'. We should name that too."

"…He does have a point," I agreed sheepishly. "How about the white coats?" I volunteered, thinking about James Patterson's _Maximum Ride_ series. Max and the flock had been raised in a lab and were supposed to save the world, Devlin, Stacey, and I were supposed to save the human race… Really, it was fitting.

Devlin slowly nodded his head. The others looked like they were thinking about it, and soon voiced their agreement for the name.

And then Stacey spoke up, for the first time since the meeting began. "As for the other Lyoko, let's just call it the Wasteland."

"Why call it that?" Jeremy asked, puzzled. "We're supposed to survive any apocalyptic situation. Often, that meant living in a type of wasteland," Devlin explained quietly. His eyes were closed and there was sweat on his brow, like he was having a nightmare.

"So we're all in agreement about the names?" Jeremy asked loudly, trying to distract Devlin. We all voiced our agreement.

"But how are you going to send us to different supercomputers?" Ulrich asked suddenly.

Jeremy grinned. "That's a good question, Ulrich. Thanks to our little friend, we can now begin to create a way to send you guys into the Internet in your Lyoko forms." By little friend, he meant the guy who sent the program to help the three of us escape the clutches of the white coats.

"But won't we need to create a way to travel there? Like a ship of some sort?" Aelita asked, no longer needing my arm for comfort.

Devlin thought about that. "That's a very good point, Aelita. We're going to need your help with that." He looked at Jeremy.

"Oh! Well, yes, obviously," Jeremy blushed. "Great! With you three geniuses here, we'll have that program created in no time," Odd encouraged. "The three of us should get started immediately. Aelita, can you squeeze in some time? I know you're going to be dee-jaying the dance…" Devlin trailed off.

Aelita brightened at the thought of finally being able to help Jeremy out. "Of course! I'm basically done, anyway."

"We'll leave you to it. See you guys later," Ulrich called out as he raced Yumi to the elevator. "I better see you guys at dinner later!" I warned them. "Yeah, or I'll eat all of your portions! You know I will!" Odd added.

"All right, all right, we'll see you later," Aelita laughed while Jeremy and Devlin ignored us.

The rest of us clamored into the elevator in high spirits. The day, while uneventful in itself, had been a good one.

Of course the happy times had to go eventually.

* * *

><p><em>Carter and Odd are going to the Halloween dance as a pair. I plan on Aelita and Jeremy being a pair, too. I already have Devlin's and Stacey's costumes planned out. Tell me guys, should Ulrich and Yumi be a pair as well? I was planning on making them dress up as Sasuke and Sakura from <em>Naruto_, but what do you guys think?_


	23. Chapter 22: A Little Piece of Advice

Chapter 22: A Little Piece of Advice

_Recently, I've started to get an idea for a different story. Have you ever had the uncontrollable desire to write something, and until you do, you just can't stop thinking about it? That's what I've been feeling._

_Don't worry, though. I'll still update regularly here._

_Also, I took the liberty of broadening Ulrich and Carter's relationship here and to give you a clue on what Ulrich is currently feeling about his friendship with Yumi. Though, if you took a look at season four, you might already know that. _

_Insert disclaimer here._

* * *

><p>It was after dinner, and I was back in my room trying to put on the finishing touches on my costume. Aelita still wasn't back from the factory, and Odd, true to his word, had eaten her portion, not to mention Jeremy and Devlin's. I shook my head. The next thing Jeremy should research was where Odd put all of that food.<p>

I was tracing out the silver bat emblem for my costume when I heard a knock on the door. Abandoning my work, I walked up to find Ulrich on the other side of the door.

"What's up, Ulrich?" I asked, pleasantly surprised. Despite the fact that we were friends, we hadn't been especially close. I was wondering what he wanted from me.

"I need some advice," he said simply with a little smile. "About Yumi, I presume," I smirked. Ulrich blushed; that was all I needed to know.

"Come on, let's go to the stairs." I closed the door and we walked to the staircase so no one would get any ideas.

* * *

><p>"So what's the problem?" I asked as I settled down on the top of the staircase. Ulrich decided to stand up. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual cargo pants; instead he was wearing jeans and a green jacket, all of which suited him nicely.<p>

"Well, you already know it's about Yumi," Ulrich began. "And…well… I was kind of wondering on how to get her to notice me as, you know, more than a friend." He was blushing madly after he said that. Clearly, he wasn't used to asking for advice.

I smiled. "I'm pretty sure she notices you already." I thought for a moment. "What exactly were the exact words she told you when she friend-zoned you?"

"Uh, 'one day your jealous of me, the next I'm jealous of you', something along those lines."

"Okay…" This was way too much pressure. "Her feelings might have changed since then. I don't know if it was for better or for worse, but there's a good chance of it. I suggest not testing her about it. I may not know Yumi like the rest of you guys, but I do know that asking a girl out when she doesn't want to has disastrous results."

"So what should I do in the meantime?"

"Well, I suggest just keep doing what you've always done and don't try anything stupid." I stared pointedly at him.

Ulrich knew I was talking about the pool incident (I swear, Odd knew everything about these two). He raised his hands like he was surrendering and said, "If you say so."

"I know so."

"I don't know about that, but you're advice definitely beats what Odd would have said."

"Yeah… Odd is a great friend and all, but he doesn't really understand women."

"Yeah, about that…." Ulrich looked at me. "How did you convince him to stop chasing after women? I mean, I know he wants to date you, but…"

"I told him that the only way to gain my trust was to stop dating so many girls."

Ulrich gave a low whistle. "You've got him on a leash."

"And from that statement, I assume that he hasn't told you that we're going to the dance together?" I asked.

"No, he hasn't. In fact, I haven't seen him since we left the factory. Something about purple cat ears…" Ulrich trailed off and looked at me.

"He's going as his Lyoko avatar. While we're on the topic, what are you going as?"

"Well, I was thinking about going as Sasuke Uchida from _Naruto_, but I also think Alucard is a total badass, so I kind of want to go as him."

"I can definitely see you as Sasuke, but I can't imagine you as Alucard." No, Ulrich wasn't _nearly_ as homicidal as Alucard, no matter how much he hated William.

"But isn't that what Halloween is all about? Going as someone you're not?" Ulrich smiled. "True," I concurred.

And then we heard the most distinguishable voice in the world. Odd was coming up the stairs, calling out, "Ulrich, are you up there? Jim's about to do rounds and if we're not in our room-" he stopped talking when he saw the two of us on the stairwell.

"What exactly is going on here?" he asked hesitantly. He was carrying an orange shopping bag that was probably from some sort of Halloween store.

"Ulrich needed advice, and since you weren't here, he came to me," I answered before Ulrich could say anything. It wasn't like I was giving anything away, so I couldn't understand why Ulrich was giving me the _look_.

"About Yumi, huh?" Odd guessed. "Am I that obvious?" Ulrich grumbled. "Yes," Odd and I said at the same time. "Jinx, you owe me a soda!" Odd shouted. "Fine, fine," I dismissed, laughing slightly.

"By the way, Odd. Which character is better: Sasuke or Alucard?" Ulrich asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "I don't know who Alucard is," Odd answered sheepishly. We both stared at him like he just grew a second head.

"He's only the most badass vampire ever!" I exclaimed, actually standing up to emphasize what I was saying.

"I'll have to look him up. But seriously, Jim is starting his rounds and I really don't want detention." Odd started for the lower levels. "For once he's got a point. Good night, Carter," Ulrich said as he followed Odd. "'Night, guys," I called out before heading down the hallway.

That reminded me that Aelita wasn't back yet from the factory. I would have to text her to let her know to hurry the hell up.

* * *

><p>Stacey was not having a good day.<p>

For one thing, she felt sick after her XANA possession. No idea why. She had been fighting XANA for, like, _ever._ Shouldn't she have an immunity to it by now? Stacey paced in her dorm room, fuming about her misfortune.

And now she couldn't think of a decent plan to destroy Cater. Originally, Stacey had thought of destroying her reputation, have Sissi tell her father that Carter was a terrible influence on the school or that she was a slut or something along those lines, and watch as her life crumbled before her eyes. And maybe, _just maybe,_ push Carter into the Digital Sea. Sure, it was petty revenge, but come on; who hasn't thought about pushing their worst enemy off a cliff? It may be totally cliche, but it felt _good_.

But she had underestimated Carter. She had good friends, kickass fighting skills, and the entire school had her back to some degree. With the original plan out of the way, Stacey had to resort to thinking up other means, one of which was attracting Odd's attention and getting him on her side. But once again, Carter had her beat. She already had the little shit wrapped around her finger. Stacey stopped her pacing long enough to punch her pillow.

Stacey had no other options. Unless…

A terrible, wicked thought entered Stacey's mind. It was so despicable that Stacey wondered why she hadn't thought it before.

_What if she teamed up with the scientists?_

Of course! If she could contact them, then she could rat out everything the Lyoko warriors were doing and sabotage them so they couldn't destroy the Wasteland! XANA would still be on a rampage, but who cared about that?

But Stacey wasn't the type to crawl back to horrible people. It was their fault she hated Carter so much; if they had just showered her with more love than they did Carter back then, they wouldn't be in this mess. But maybe they would be so thankful that they'll take her back! And then they'll do whatever she say!

Stacey began to giggle, a hysterical sort of laugh that evil masterminds tend to get when they think up something especially diabolical. It was such a relief to finally have a way back to the warmth and comfort that should rightfully be hers, even if was just a laboratory.

Stacey flopped onto her bed with the biggest grin on her face. Screw Sissi, screw Paul, screw Jean, screw Devlin, screw Carter, screw the Lyoko warriors, screw everyone! She finally, _finally _had a way out of this hellhole!

Now, if only she could contact them.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry the chapter is so short, but like I said, I was preoccupied with the other story. Don't worry, I won't slack on this one.<em>

_Also, if you don't know who Alucard is, then look him up or I'll sick William on you._


	24. Extra Chapter 2: The Truth About Them

Extra Chapter #2: The Truth about Them

_Another extra chapter because, quite frankly, I don't really have the time for a full-length one. Stupid English essay!_

_Fun fact: This is probably the shortest chapter I have ever written._

* * *

><p>"What do you have on the readings?" Vivian asked one of her subordinates. She was in the giant computer room of the San Diego laboratory, watching the activity on Franz Hopper's version of Lyoko.<p>

"The last reported XANA attack was exactly two days ago; since then, nothing. We have no idea what XANA or the test subjects are planning," the subordinate concluded as he folded his report in half.

Vivian cursed under her breath. She was in an especially bad mood because the cast on her nose was itchy again. Seriously, who would have thought that her granddaughter would have so much arm strength? True, she had excelled in combat on Lyoko, but still… "Anything else?" she asked surly.

"Well, from the research we got over the years, we concluded that we might have an advantage over the subjects," the young scientist smiled. He was a young man, with blonde hair and blue eyes. You wouldn't have guessed that he was secretly a scientist who enjoyed the suffering of his lab rats.

"From watching the behavioral patterns of subjects ten, eleven, and twelve, we have concluded that they have exploitable weaknesses which can prove very useful for us. Let's take a look at subject eleven, for example. Devlin has an IQ of one-ninety. He can read ten thousand words per minute, can solve the most complex equations in his head, and can think on his feet when it counts. The problem with him is his apathy. He could literally care less about the majority of the world. Now that he's in the hands of his rescuers, he might grow some feelings of sympathy, which can hinder his thought process."

"What do you mean?" Vivian asked. She was listening intently to this, completely ignoring all the other sounds around her.

"What the analysis group thinks is that because of his apathy, Devlin could make the coldest decisions without having to worry about what others think of them. If he has feelings for anyone, be it platonic or not, if that person was in danger, he would probably freeze up at the thought of losing him. If he does that, then he can't fight."

"Probably. You said _probably_."

"Well, uh, we don't really have enough evidence to make sure of the fact," the young scientist faltered. "Moving on to subject twelve." Vivian's face darkened at the thought.

"Carter has excellent art, math, and science skills. She has been proven to be the brawn of the group as well as a good temporary leader in the unlikely idea that Devlin can't. Her biggest problem is her emotional state. Unlike Devlin, she doesn't have any apathy. She will feel the pain for most life forms, therefore making her unlikely to fatally injure any human. If she does, she will most likely succumb to guilt and depression over it.

"Now here's the real kicker. Subject ten, aka Stacey, is the one we most want to exploit. The minute she's not in the spotlight getting all the attention, she has feelings of anger and hatred directed at the new object of affection. She would do anything to get back in the spotlight, even if it means getting rid of a few people to do it. She is the exact opposite of subject twelve: while Carter would try to be genuinely nice to people, Stacey would only do it to gain something. As long as subject ten has what she wants, the rest of the planet can literally screw themselves."

"Subjects eleven and twelve are both in the 'probably' category. What makes you think subject ten _will _kill someone?"

"Have you _seen_ her fight? She doesn't give a damn about anyone other than herself," the young man scoffed.

"Good job, Scott. If we can contact subject ten and make her work for us, we can use her to take down XANA, get the other subjects back, and maybe get some more information about why Franz Hopper created his Lyoko." Vivian smiled at Scott, who shivered under her malevolent gaze.

"You do realize we'll have to give in to any demand she has, right? I mean, we basically ignored her when we got Carter; she obviously wants our attention again," Scott said.

Vivian snorted. "Please, Scott. We'll do the same thing we did with XANA. Pretend we're working together, act like we care about her demands, and then have someone else get rid of her. Of course, if the last part fails, we'll have to do it ourselves, but come on. Out of all three subjects, she was least useful for our research. We don't need attention whores; we need smart, resilient people who can save humanity."

Scott didn't particularly care for the children; he was one of the white coats, after all. But what he didn't like was how Vivian had said 'save humanity.' She had that horrible gleam in her eye, like she was envisioning something different from the original goal.

But who cared, right? If this worked out, he could be considered by other companies for his research. At the very least, he would get a pay raise for all of this. If he played his cards right, by the end of his life, he could get a Nobel Prize!

As long as that happened, who cared how many people he had to stomp on?


	25. Chapter 23: The Visions Come Back

Chapter 23: The Visions Come Back

_Thank you, Shiningheart of ThunderClan, for your ever needed input. I agree that there is no way Ulrich can pull off the Alucard look. But then again, it's almost Halloween in the story; he can dress up however he wants._

_Also, I'm going to put everyone in their season four outfits because right now the plot revolves more around that season._

* * *

><p>"Okay, I looked up Alucard yesterday," Odd began. Ulrich, Odd and I were at our usual corner by the drink dispenser. I was cramming for a math test and Ulrich was trying to get the hot chocolate when Odd walked up.<p>

"Ulrich, there is no way in HELL you can pull off that look," Odd continued. "After I thought about it, I thought the same thing," I admitted, looking up from my textbook. "True, but its Halloween; I can dress up as anything I want, remember?" Ulrich banged on the machine, which had eaten his money without coughing up the drink.

"Oh, just let me do it," a voice said from behind him. It was Sissi, in her new pink shirt, jeans, and hair clips. She walked over to the dispenser and promptly punched the heart of it. Immediately following the act of vandalism, a paper cup fell down and started filling itself up with hot chocolate.

"We can afford to have field trips out of the country but we can't afford a new drink dispenser." Sissi shook her head. "Bye, guys," she said before heading off. The three of us just stared after her.

"…What just happened?" Odd asked Ulrich. He shrugged and picked up the hot chocolate. "Sissi's been extra nice the last month. It's creepy, but compared to how she was before, I have to say it's a refreshing change."

Huh. Stacey got here one month ago and befriended Stacey. There was definitely a connection, but I couldn't see it for what it was.

"Wait, do we have a math test today?" Odd suddenly asked me, staring at the math book in my hands. "Don't tell me you forgot," I sighed. Of course he forgot.

"No sweat. I can take the test without having to study."

"You are so going to fail."

"Well, we can't all be as smart as Jeremy and Aelita, can we?" Odd huffed, crossing his arms. "No, but that doesn't mean we can't try." I looked at Ulrich. He gave a small cough and took over. "Odd, if you keep failing like this they won't let you go to the dance."

"No way, they can't do that." Odd didn't sound convincing at all.

And that was when we saw Aelita and Yumi running towards us. Aelita had a bagel in her mouth; she and Jeremy and Devlin had skipped breakfast earlier. "What's up, guys?" Yumi asked us as they got to us.

"We're trying to convince Odd that they can keep us from going to the dance if we have bad grades," Ulrich explained. "That's true, Odd. I suggest you start studying now." Aelita gave a giggle at Yumi's remark. Odd looked miffed, so I held out my textbook to him. I didn't need to study as much as he did. Odd took it and started pouring over the notes.

"So, have you decided on what you're going to be for Halloween?" Ulrich asked, attempting to make small talk. "You all know I'm going steam punk this year," Aelita answered. She looked at Yumi.

"I plan on going as Seras Victoria from _Hellsing_," Yumi announced. "Are you planning on wearing an orange wig or just dying your hair?" I asked. "Orange wig. It's going to be a pain to style though," Yumi pointed out.

I looked over at Ulrich, who made a point at not meeting my gaze. This was going to be really funny if he didn't change his costume.

"Where are Jeremy and Devlin?" I asked Aelita. "I think they're still doing some tests at the factory. Either that or there at a convenience store getting breakfast." She rolled her eyes at the thought.

Despite the awkward tension between Yumi and Ulrich and the fact the Odd was hopelessly cramming for the test, everything seemed, well, peaceful.

Why can't things stay that way?

* * *

><p>Stacey's sparkly pink cell phone rang a tinny Britney Spears song, signaling a new call. She excused herself from Paul and Jean, and hid herself in a dark outside corner of a building so as not to be disturbed. She didn't recognize the number.<p>

"Hello?" Stacey answered hesitantly. "Hello, Stacey. Do you remember me?" asked an all too familiar voice on the other end.

"_Vivian?_" Stacey couldn't believe it. "How did you get my number?"

"Details, details," Vivian dismissed. "Anyway, we were wondering how life was in France."

Stacey couldn't believe it. Just yesterday she had decided to team up with the white coats and now she was actually talking to them! All the words welled up in her throat, and she could barely say the next few words. "It sucks here. I didn't ask to get rescued."

"I'm sure you're miserable over there. Would you like to come home?"

_Home._ But Stacey couldn't let it go just yet. "Do you promise to listen to me? And to never ignore me again?" she demanded. Hey, just because she was happy didn't mean she wasn't still a bitch.

"Of course, Stacey. Everything that you desire will be yours." Vivian's voice was full of poisoned honey, but Stacey didn't care. She was finally getting what she deserved.

"What do you need me to do?"

"What are the Lyoko warriors planning right now?"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night<strong>

Aelita should have been sleeping soundly. Instead, she was having a nightmare.

_She was on Lyoko. Her father had just transported the two of them onto there. Franz Hopper was trying to deal with XANA, and Aelita was on her own in the forest sector._

_Or so she thought. She had walked out of the tower, examining the virtual world before her when she saw them: a tanned cheerleader, a boy in blue clothing with dog ears in his red hair, and girl in black clothing like a bat. They were looking at the trees before they noticed her._

"_Hey!" The boy called out to her. Aelita could detect a British accent. "You there! What are you doing here?"_

_Aelita didn't know how to answer them. Daddy hadn't said there were locals here. He also didn't say she could leave the tower, and since she was already disobeying him, she figured a little more rule breaking couldn't hurt. "My dad said this was a world without danger! He didn't say anyone else was here!"_

_The three came closer to her, so they didn't have to shout to hear one other. "You shouldn't be here. Vivian's found out about this Lyoko. You need to get out of here before she discovers you," the bat girl warned her sternly. Aelita didn't know who Vivian was, but was she really that scary?_

_And then the earth shook as if it was angry at them. Monsters shaped like giant cubes appeared from the forest and started shooting at the four of them. "Go back to the tower!" the cheerleader ordered her as she strung an arrow into her bow. The boy had a pair of guns in his hands, and the bat girl had two gleaming, silver daggers in her palms._

"_Why are you attacking? Shouldn't you try to reason with them?" Aelita wondered. "These things don't have a mind of their own. Run, while you still can!" the boy yelled at her as he shot one of the cubes. Hesitantly, Aelita ran back to the tower. She could hear the sounds of battle in the distance._

_As she neared the tower, Aelita dared for one last look at the three of them. They had finished off the cube creatures and were now taking on big crab monsters. Afraid for her life, Aelita ran straight into the tower. She didn't hear their blood curling cries as the three totally annihilated everything in their path._

* * *

><p>Aelita woke up in a cold sweat. She sat up in her bed, breathing hard. She looked over at Carter, snoring softly. Aelita crept out of bed and towards her roommate. As she got near the bed, she stooped down and searched the floor. There it was: the box with all the drawings of Lyoko.<p>

"Aelita?" She looked up to see a groggy Carter waking up. "What's going on?" she slurred as she climbed out of her bed.

"I had a dream of before the supercomputer shut down. You, Devlin, and Stacey were there with me, on Lyoko," Aelita added as she opened the cardboard box. Carter's eyes snapped open and she scrambled to the floor. Aelita turned on the bedside lamp and the two of them rifled through the papers searching for a single drawing.

"I found it," Carter said breathlessly. She hadn't seen it since before school started, and it still scared her to see the single drawing of Aelita in her Lyoko form. Aelita took it and held it to the light, but it didn't change or anything, if she was expecting it to.

"You told me that Vivian found out about Lyoko. You warned me to hide so she wouldn't find me." Aelita sat back down and looked at Carter.

Carter furrowed her brow. "I don't remember any of that. It's been a month and I can't remember anything about the experiment at all. Why is that?" Aelita took one of her hands into her own. "Maybe you don't want to remember," she said softly, cradling the cold hand as if to warm it.

Carter stared at her. She had thought of that before, but shouldn't she have gotten some other vision by now? She only had a few scraps of memory so far, and she was hungry to understand the true nature of the project. But then she remembered how Devlin had reacted when talking about the Wasteland. If it was really that horrible, then she never wanted to remember.

"I'm…kind of scared, Aelita," Carter admitted. Aelita gazed at her friend, who was blushing madly at revealing her fear. "I am too, Carter," Aelita agreed softly. "But we have our friends to help us. We won't let those scientists get away with anything."

Carter smiled at the encouragement. "Let's get some sleep, Aelita. Unfortunately, we have school tomorrow." They packed up the box, shoved it under Carter's bed, said their good nights, and tried to sleep.

They had no idea that Stacey was plotting against them, and that they were all once again at the mercy of their worst nightmare.

* * *

><p><em>I honestly never thought that Carter would admit to being scared for her life. She seemed too stubborn for that. Funny, how your own character can surprise you.<em>

_So what do you guys think will happen when Yumi realizes she "accidently" went as a pair with Ulrich? Knowing her, she'll be mad as all hell._


	26. Chapter 24: Halloween

Chapter 24: Halloween

_To answer everyone's suspicions, yes, I am planning something big for the Halloween arc. I don't know when I'll get around to it, though._

_Also, I sincerely apologize if you get an email saying that a new chapter was up when in fact there wasn't. Every time I tried to upload this chapter, for some reason, it wouldn't show up, even after the time limit. I don't really know what's going on, but it has happened before, at least to me, so I hope this problem is only temporary._

_Anyway, please enjoy your crappy fanfic._

* * *

><p><strong>About two weeks later<strong>

Stacey should have been in her warm bed at Kadic. Instead, she was at the factory at one in the morning, shivering in her light black jacket and jeans. She held a small package, but she didn't dare open it in her room. There was always the chance of some teacher (Jim) doing a surprise inspection in the middle of the school day.

The elevator whirred with noise, shattering the silence of the cool October night. The doors slid open to reveal the supercomputer room, completely empty for the first time in ages. Stacey knew that Aelita had threatened Jeremy and Devlin to take a night off from the programming or else. Stacey didn't know what 'else' was, but from the way she had seen the boys balk, it couldn't have been good. She was thankful for that, and for the fact that Aelita had been yelling in the supposedly empty dorm so that she could overhear in the first place.

Stacey sat down in the cushy chair, facing away from the active super computer. She didn't want to sit on the cold, hard floor of the room. She balanced the package in her lap and, taking out some scissors from her pocket, began to open it.

After the white coats had contacted her, they had asked her about the Lyoko Warriors and what they were planning. She told the truth: she didn't really know any of them personally except for Devlin and Carter, and that they were creating upgrades for all of them, and that they were trying to create a way to get through the Internet. Stacey had withheld information about the mole in their organization; she didn't know why, to be honest. Besides, the scientists knew that Jeremy was a genius. They wouldn't put two and two together.

Then they had asked her if there was anything special going on at the academy. Stacey had told them about the Halloween dance, and that it was from seven pm to nine pm, with Aelita as the deejay. The white coats told her that they had something for her to do and that she absolutely must do it at the dance. She had to put it in the deejay booth before the dance started, and that she had to turn it on at exactly eight forty-five. Stacey didn't know what the machine was or what it would do, but if the white coats trusted her…

The package fully opened, Stacey pawed through the Styrofoam pellets and found the machine. It wasn't very big, around the size of her palm. It looked like a silver bug, with the antennas and all. It had red unlit eyes, and it didn't look that menacing. The transmitter was the same size, but it was black with two buttons. Finally, there was a note at the bottom of the package. It was handwritten and said this:

_The left button is the one you must press at eight forty-five. It will turn the sound distorter on and send an air borne signal to the three of you. But you, Stacey dear, must not listen to it. Ear plugs will be sufficient in blocking out the noise. The distorter must be on for thirty seconds or the signal won't work. The right button will shut it off._

_After the dance, you must take out the distorter and discard it and the transmitter in the Seine River. Then you must join the children in the factory to 'save' the other two. You must convince them that you are on their side. If possible, get devirtualized early._

_Do not let us down._

_Vivian_

So that was what she supposed to do. It still didn't explain what the hell they were planning, but maybe that was a good thing; if Stacey knew too much, she could accidentally let something slip, maybe not with words, but in her facial expressions.

Stacey put all three items back in the box and collected any trash that had fallen to the floor. After she was done, she walked back into the elevator and went up to the first floor. She didn't have much time to prepare for the mission. Halloween was tomorrow. She needed to put the finishing touches on her costume so no one would recognize her, and she needed to find a way to get into the auditorium early.

She was not going to sleep anytime soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Halloween (Finally! Jeez!)<strong>

It was after school, and I was putting on the final touches of my costume. Aelita was doing the same, or more like, she was spreading out her costume on her bed: a wide red tulle skirt, a pink strapless corset, brown high-heeled boots, a gold pocket watch that was supposed to cling at the waist, and pink steam punk goggles. She also had a brown leather jacket with a clockwork design on it in case it got chilly later.

"You really went all out for Halloween," I remarked as I examined her awesome costume. Aelita picked up her goggles. "I know, right? I think I'll wear the goggles a lot." "I thought you would," I smiled. What could I say? They really did look cool.

Aelita looked at my costume. "Not bad for someone who didn't know how to sew until a few weeks ago," Aelita smirked at me. I blushed; there had been a lot of mistakes when I first started out, but now everything was perfect-in my eyes at least.

Aelita checked the time on her phone. "The dance is starting soon. Need any more help with homework?" "Nah, I'm done. But I should probably get Odd to do his. Knowing him, he's putting it off." I rolled my eyes. Aelita giggled at my expression.

"Okay. But remember not to take too long."

"Shut up and go to the auditorium." We both left and took the stairs down, but I stopped at Odd and Ulrich's floor while Aelita continued her descent downward. I walked to their door and knocked.

Odd answered and gave me a quizzical look. ""You're here to tell me to do my homework, aren't you?" "Uh-huh," was my clever response. Odd shrugged. "I've already done most of it. But more importantly, I need your help to knock some sense into Ulrich." He ushered me into the room and closed the door. I saw Ulrich setting down his Alucard costume on his bed. He turned to me as I walked in.

"You do know Yumi is going to kill you when she finds out you accidentally-on-purpose paired up with her," I told him, sitting down on the bed close to a napping Kiwi.

"I'm aware of that, but it's too late already. Besides, this costume was really expensive. I couldn't just return it."

"Why not?"

"I got it overseas."

"You did?" Odd asked, surprised. "Yes, I did. Do you think Yumi will buy that?" Ulrich asked. Despite his hopeful expression, his voice was flat. "Not really," I said. "And I'm pretty sure you can still return it by mail." Odd just shook his head. "Knowing him, he just thought it was a pain in the ass to do." "Oh, shut up," Ulrich mumbled. Then he ignored us and went back to doing his homework.

With nothing better to do, I asked Odd, "Need any help with homework?"

"Do you understand Mrs. Hertz's assignment?"

"…This may take a while."

* * *

><p>Stacey was alone in the auditorium, which was only half prepared for the dance. She knew she only had a few minutes before people would come in and finish up hanging the streamers and putting fake coffins and graveyards in there. Stacey was dressed as Hermione from <em>Harry Potter,<em> mainly because no one would recognize her in a brown wig. She even gave herself somewhat bushy eyebrows so she would look more like the first movie version of the genius witch.

Stacey walked silently and quickly to the deejay booth, which had yet not been decorated for the event. Taking a screwdriver which she had swiped from the work table earlier, she unscrewed a part of the side so she could easily stick in the distorter. She didn't screw the bolts all the way in; she would need to unscrew them quickly if it came to that. With that part of the mission done, Stacey walked back to the work table and replaced her large screwdriver for a much smaller one. It would be easier to hide at the dance.

Stacey's head suddenly snapped up. Thanks to the training the scientists gave her, she could hear something from far away easily. It sounded like footsteps. Someone laughed; it was probably just students coming in to finish setting up the auditorium. Cursing under her breath, she ran to the side door, only to find it locked. With the students coming in and with the clock ticking, Stacey had to literally kick open the door to escape. The lock was damaged, but that didn't matter. She was out the door just as the other students walked in.

* * *

><p><strong>Before the dance<strong>

Ulrich, Odd, and I were assembled in our costumes at our usual bench to wait for the gang, minus Aelita, to show up. Yumi would most likely be the last one, since she still had to walk to school. Odd was trying to help Ulrich come up with a semi-plausible cover story to tell Yumi when we saw Devlin. He was wearing a black _kimono, _with a semi-large, knife-shaped sword strapped to his back. He had gelled his red hair into spikes, and he scowled a bit as he walked.

"Ichigo!" I yelled out in astonishment. His face lost the fake scowl and he smiled. "I figured you would know. _Bleach _is the best anime ever!" He high-fived me when he got near. "Please tell me you know who he is," I begged Odd. There was no way he couldn't know.

"Yeah, he's Ichigo from _Bleach_," he joked. "I do know him, though. I read the manga." And that was when we heard Jeremy calling to us. He was wearing brown pleated pants, tan leather boots, a chocolate brown work shirt with red garters on the sleeves, a tan vest with a gold pocket watch chain peeping out of the pockets, and a brown derby hat on his head. He had a strange barrel-like gun strapped to his waist.

"Dude, you went steam punk too!" I exclaimed happily. Jeremy blushed, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, I overheard Aelita raving about it, so I decided to try it out too. And besides, it's a fascinating topic in science fiction."

"Isn't it more like an alternate universe and fantasy thing, though?"

"…yeah, I can see why you'd think that, Ulrich."

Devlin seemed to notice Ulrich for the first time and took in his costume. "You're going to die," was all he needed to say. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" Ulrich complained, pulling his hat low over his eyes. "Because it's true," Jeremy responded.

And because Ulrich's day couldn't get any worse, Yumi decided to come running up in Seras Victoria's blue _Hellsing _work outfit and an orange wig. She didn't have the bazooka, which was just as well; there was no way Jim was going to let a fake weapon that huge into the dance. She stopped running as she neared us, and stared at Ulrich. "You totally did this on purpose!" she accused him.

"No, I didn't! I've always been a fan of _Hellsing_, and I wanted to dress as Alucard. By the time you told us what your costume was, I had already ordered it," Ulrich quickly explained. "That's true," Odd piped up, flicking his purple tail from side to side. "And he couldn't return it because he bought it from overseas."

Yumi was still brick red. "This is so embarrassing," she complained pitifully. "On the plus side, I don't think _Hellsing _is really popular over here," Devlin quickly intervened. "It's not suitable for most of the kids in school, so I don't think they'll notice." Yumi seemed to cheer up at the thought. "Come on, guys, we should probably get in line," I concluded, getting up from the bench.

No one commented on our costumes as we walked to the auditorium. A huge line was already growing, even though the dance didn't start for another ten minutes. "You were right," Jeremy told me as we got in line.

We had to wait in line for twenty minutes before we got in. A few kids had complimented Devlin's costume, recognizing the lovable orange haired antihero from _Bleach. _A lot of kids didn't recognize Jeremy's steam punk costume, which made me sad. Milly and Tamiya were taking videos of the kids in line, asking them the typical questions like "Who are you dressed as?" "Did you pair up with someone?" and etcetera.

When they finally came up to us, they took one look at Odd's costume and pronounced him, "Just a giant purple cat." "Hey! I am way more awesome than just that!" he protested. "Not the time, Odd," I told him sharply. Big mistake; the two budding reporters zeroed in on me and my Lyoko awesomeness.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Milly asked. "Odd and I are characters from a really awesome video game," I told not untruthfully. What? Lyoko did look like a video game.

"Which one?"

"One from America. I don't think it came to France yet," I lied. Milly was about to ask more about that, but then Tamiya saw Ulrich and Yumi. "What are you supposed to be?" she asked them. "I'm a totally badass vampire and she's my assistant," Ulrich answered before Yumi could say anything. She turned, ready to yell at him, but then Tamiya said, "You're not that scary." She looked bored. "Come on, let's go interview some other kids," Milly said. They ran to other random kids in line and left us alone.

Yumi lightly pushed Ulrich. "You're lucky that they didn't know who we were," she warned. She was smiling a bit though. "Yes, I am," he complied, pulling his hat over his eyes. Odd and I exchanged looks and then started laughing. Ulrich, relieved, joined us.

After twenty minutes, we were in the auditorium. The place had been transformed into a graveyard crypt, complete with crosses and grave yard markers. I even saw the skeleton from the science wing in one corner. Halloween music was thumping through the speakers; Aelita was already playing. She had created the most epic mix of Halloween music I had ever heard. Kids were already dancing in the middle of the auditorium.

We all went to the center of the dance floor. Yumi and Ulrich were trying to teach Jeremy and Devlin how to dance, but they were pretty hopeless. Odd and I, on the other hand, just went our way and danced our hearts out. I don't remember if we even took breaks. The two of us didn't slow dance very often because Aelita didn't put many of those in her mix. But it didn't matter; I was having an incredible time.

* * *

><p><strong>An hour and forty-four minutes into the dance<strong>

Stacey was in the back, far away from the students and in the shadows. She was still in her Hermione costume, and she was staring at the clock way too intently. She had told Paul and Jean that she couldn't come to the dance because of a bad grade. Sissi had been unable to come, since her grades had been so bad that her own father forbade her from going to the dance. There was no one here to bother her.

Stacey stuck in her ear plugs just as the clock struck eight forty-five. She got out the transmitter from her cloak pocket and pressed the left button. She counted to thirty, and then pressed the right button. She then removed her ear plugs and waited for the dance to be over.

* * *

><p><strong>Back with Carter<strong>

Aelita had been playing an upbeat song when I heard the strange undertones. It sounded dark and metal, the complete opposite of the happy pop song. I stopped dancing and held my head. Odd looked at me and also stopped dancing. "You okay?" he asked me, concern spreading over his face. "I…think I need some air," I said feebly, walking to the front door.

I could no longer hear the undertones, but my head was pounding, and I felt sick to my stomach. "Go back to the dance. I'll be fine," I said, trying to put up a strong front. It must have worked, because he slowly went back to join the others.

I walked out into the cool night air, breathing it in. I still felt sick. I heard the door bang open behind me, and turned to find Devlin, looking pale and with his spikes going flat. "You feel sick, too?" he asked me. I nodded. And just when he was next to me, he doubled over, his fake sword falling to the ground. He picked it up, and tried to use it as a staff. I tried to help him up, but then I also doubled over in pain. The two of us slumped to the ground, writhing in pain.

All I could think was _the white coats have struck again. _And then I blacked out.

* * *

><p>That wasn't quite true. Carter didn't black out, exactly. But something else took her and Devlin over, erasing their free will.<p>

The two of them quickly picked themselves up. Carter helped put the sword back on Devlin's back (it wasn't as big as the anime version of it, so Jim had allowed it into the dance), and the two of the set out to the manhole cover in the woods. Thanks to the training the scientists gave them, they were there in no time. Devlin opened it and went down first. Carter went down second, and closed the lid.

Once they were both in the sewers, they each took a skateboard and rode to the factory. The distorter had told them that they needed to do one thing, and they had no choice but to do it.

They had to destroy the heart of Lyoko.

* * *

><p><em>If you want to see Jeremy's costume, look up Bryson Feldspar-Scientific Researcher<em>_. Also, I used Alucard's red work outfit for Ulrich, in case you didn't know what he looked like._

_I don't know when I'll be able to update the next chapter; hopefully it'll be up sometime next week._


	27. Chapter 25: The last Shot

Chapter 25: The Last Shot

_God, this was a pain to finish. There were so many things that I wanted to put in but couldn't. I have to admit though, it was fun to write. So I enjoyed and hated typing this._

_Is there something wrong with me?_

* * *

><p>Devlin was in the supercomputer room, delaying the transfer to Lyoko and typing in the password for Sector Five. Carter was waiting for him in the elevator. "Are you done?" she snarled, her voice much harsher and meaner than usual. "Yes," Devlin said as he ran to the elevator. His accent was more pronounced, and his was much deeper. Both of them had violet colored eyes.<p>

Both were still in there Halloween costumes; they didn't have the time to change. It didn't matter anyway. They went down to the scanner room. "Are you sure they won't find us?" Devlin asked Carter as they walked into the scanners. "They shouldn't. We didn't leave any clues behind. And I'm pretty sure Jeremy can't pick up anything besides XANA attacks on his laptop," Carter explained before the scanners closed.

* * *

><p>"Have you guys seen Carter?" Odd asked Jeremy and Ulrich. The dance had just ended and people were clearing out, but Carter had not returned from the outside. "No, and for that matter, we haven't seen Devlin," Jeremy realized. He searched around for Yumi and Aelita. They were at the deejay booth, and Yumi had thrown off her wig ages ago. They were talking happily to each other, unaware of the events about to occur.<p>

Ulrich, Jeremy, and Odd ran over to tell them about their two missing friends. "Have you checked outside?" Aelita asked. "I don't think we would be able to find them with all those kids out there," Odd replied. "Maybe they went to the dorms. Aelita, how much longer do you need to stay here?" Jeremy was once again playing the leader.

"Not much longer. They just need me to help put away the equipment." "Okay, go check the infirmary. Chances are they might have felt sick and went there," Jeremy directed. "Aelita, stay here until you're no longer needed. The rest of us will check out the dorm, see if they went there instead." "Got it," Yumi said, and sprinted out the auditorium. The boys followed suit, leaving Aelita with the clean-up crew. Already she could feel that something was wrong. Carter and Devlin were smart; they wouldn't leave without telling anyone. Aelita refused to believe that Carter was cheating on Odd with Devlin, especially after Carter made him swear not to cheat on any other girl again. Carter was no hypocrite.

Then again, maybe they really were sick. The room was still hot even after all the kids left, and the room had been packed earlier. Maybe they were feeling claustrophobic from all of that. There was no reason for her to suddenly jump to conclusions.

* * *

><p>Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremy decided to check Devlin's room first, since it was on the second floor. Devlin's room was fairly normal for a genius like him: Band posters of Fall Out Boy and Metallica on the walls, a single bed, a bookshelf full of sci-fi and mystery books, and a computer like Jeremy's in his room. Only there was no Devlin inside.<p>

Then they checked Carter and Aelita's room, only to find that Carter wasn't there either. So now the guys were really worried. "Maybe they're at the infirmary," Ulrich said, getting out his cell. And then it dawned on Jeremy. "Is the infirmary even open?" he asked sheepishly, cursing himself for forgetting. "Aw, shit," Odd swore, face palming.

"Yumi just texted me. They're not there," Ulrich confirmed. He leaned against the wall, out of ideas. "What was the time when Carter and Devlin went outside?" Jeremy asked suddenly. An idea was forming in his mind, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Around eight forty-five," Odd answered. And then his eyes widened. "Aw, dude, you think she's cheating on me!" "What? No! I wasn't even considering it!" Jeremy exclaimed truthfully. "She convinced you to stop cheating on other girls!" Ulrich stated. "Have a little faith, man." "I do have faith! That's why I think maybe the white coats have something to do with their disappearance!" Odd cried, not even caring if someone overheard. And there was a serious chance of that, since some kids went back to their dorms after the dance.

"I was thinking the same thing, Odd," Jeremy said quietly, trying to soothe his angry friend. "Maybe the white coats got their hooks into the two of them and are now trying to get them to go back to San Diego." "Then shouldn't we go after them?" Ulrich asked, already walking away. "We don't know that for sure," Jeremy said diplomatically. "All the signs say yes, Jeremy," Odd hissed angrily. "Ulrich, call Yumi and Aelita to meet us at the factory. Something tells me that all the answers are there."

Jeremy looked at his two friends, one angry and ready for action, the other stoic and calm. Even though he wished this wasn't happening, he had to face facts; Devlin and Carter were once again under the control of the project. "You heard the man, Ulrich," Jeremy said. "We'll see you soon." Odd and Jeremy left Ulrich to call Yumi, hoping that she had already thought to get Aelita.

He was in luck. Yumi had actually figured out the plan by the time she had reached the nurse's office. After she had texted Ulrich, she ran back to the auditorium to get Aelita. She wasn't too busy, seeing as all she had to do was put away some stuff from the deejay booth. When Aelita saw Yumi run into the auditorium, sweaty and out of breath, she knew that the worst had happened. That was when Aelita dropped what she was doing and instantly ran out the door, ignoring the yells of protest from her classmates.

Aelita had provided such a great distraction. That was why no one noticed a lone brunette swoop in on the deejay booth and jimmy the side, grabbing something from the internal wiring, closing the hatch, and running off the stage.

* * *

><p>Jeremy, Odd, and Ulrich were already in the sewers when they heard the girls climbing down. Yumi was the first down and was the first to notice the missing skateboards. "We were right," she said dejectedly. Odd stared hard at the evidence before turning to the others. "We don't know what's going on or how the white coats got to them," he began, "but we're going to get to the bottom of this." Everyone nodded grimly. Odd took a deep breath before spinning on his heel and running towards the factory. Aelita and Jeremy each grabbed a scooter and waited as Ulrich and Yumi climbed on. It was slow going, but they were all able to make great time getting to the factory.<p>

* * *

><p>They were now in the supercomputer room, waiting for Jeremy to give them the diagnosis for the situation. "They're in Sector Five," he said finally, looking up from the screen. "But…why?" Yumi asked. "Don't the white coats want to study Lyoko or something?"<p>

"I don't know. Maybe they already have the information they need, and they don't need us saving their test subjects and hindering their project." Odd bristled at _test subjects_. He was also a half-step behind the others. "So what you're saying that the white coats want to destroy Lyoko? But why?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe they've sided with XANA again." Jeremy shrugged. "Anyway, you guys need to get to the scanners. Before the white coats got Devlin, we created a program to send you guys directly to Sector Five. We haven't tested it out yet, which is why the two of them took the long way to the sector. We also finished your new avatars," Jeremy added, setting up all of the programs.

The four of them looked at each other before heading to the scanner room. "Those two really did a lot of work in just a month," Odd remarked as the elevator whirled down. "Devlin is technically a genius," Aelita reminded him. "And you're not?" Yumi teased, balling her wig in her hand. She was getting tired of carrying it. Aelita just smiled.

"But what happens now?" Ulrich asked, once again the pessimist. "They've been turned into these super soldier things. There's no telling what they're capable of." "Correction: there's no telling what _Devlin's_ capable of. We know what Carter can do," Aelita explained as the elevator stopped and revealed the scanners. "That's what I'm worried about," Ulrich mumbled quietly so only Yumi could hear.

Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita were the first to go into the scanners. They were still in their Halloween costumes, and they looked agitated. Odd couldn't blame them. When they were finally on Lyoko, Odd walked into the first scanner that opened. Only then did he allow the frivolous thought of what his avatar would look like.

* * *

><p>Devlin had made a slight miscalculation in the devirtualization process. The two of them still devirtualized onto the forest sector, but they were far away from the clearing where the transport orb usually came when they wanted to go to Sector Five. And since they were on a time limit, Carter and Devlin had to really rush to get there in time. By the time they were on Carthage, the others had gotten wind about their little scheme.<p>

No matter. Carter and Devlin were past the maze and were taking the elevator to the core. They knew the scientists were monitoring their every movement- though how they did that was a mystery- and the two of them knew that failure wasn't an option.

They zoomed to the south pole, where the entrance to the core was located. XANA already knew they were there; no doubt he had some nasty surprises waiting for them there. The two soldiers stayed in stoic silence as they entered to the core zone.

They walked in slowly, waiting for creepers to suddenly start popping out. Devlin had his guns in his hands, Carter with her daggers drawn. They crept up the stairs as silently as they could, looking in every direction without losing their footing.

And then came the warning shot.

A creeper had slithered out and shot a red laser at Devlin, who was leading. Devlin immediately shot it, but the creeper merely slide out of the way and dodged. It didn't attack again. Devlin and Carter looked at each other. "XANA wants to make contact," Carter said, saying what Devlin was thinking. "Then where's the diplomat?" he asked, meaning William. Why he compared the violent possessed boy to a diplomat was beyond Carter.

Carter could hear him coming. She looked to her left, and there he was, coming out of black smog with Zweihander in one hand. He glared at them, and slowly came up to them. "What do _you _want?" William said "you" like one would say "zit breakout."

"We came to destroy the core," Devlin said simply. William blinked. "Why?" he asked. "What gives you the right to destroy this place?" "I thought you wanted to destroy your old prison, XANA," Carter sneered. A wicked laugh was nearing her lips. William growled at her, but Devlin took his attention away. "We'll destroy the heart anyway. We just thought that you might not those kids ruining it." Devlin was nonchalantly examining his guns while he said this.

William's scowl deepened. Devlin had him in a bind. XANA didn't want to team up with the scientists, especially after the first time. But he also wanted to destroy his old prison more than anything. Hell, he would have done so already if hadn't been for those brats. Against his better judgment, XANA agreed. "But just this once," William said for XANA.

"That's all we need. Get some of your servants here. I have a plan." Devlin smiled impishly. He looked like he was having a lot of fun. William looked a little confused, but he called for some creepers nevertheless. Two came to the opening a few minutes later, and announced their presence with a roar.

"Okay, me and the creepers will shoot at the heart while you two stand guard for the kids," Devlin explained. "You look like you're enjoying this," Carter teased him. "I am. I really am," he said with a wicked grin. Finally, he was back in control as the brains of the group, where he belonged. Why shouldn't he enjoy this? William just stared at him like he was a loony, which probably wasn't that far from the truth.

William signaled for the creepers to start firing, and Devlin climbed up to the top to help. William and Carter stood guard and waited, but not for long. They could hear footsteps running towards them. "They're here!" Carter called to Devlin. He simply nodded and went back to firing. William stared at her like she was crazy. "What?" Carter asked. "They already know we're here." William just rolled his eyes and prepared Zweihander.

And then Team Lyoko came running in, all decked out in their new uniforms. They looked sleeker and faster, with Aelita in her pink cyber armor, Ulrich in his yellow and brown body suit, Odd in his purple cat outfit, and Yumi in her pink and purple body suit. Carter couldn't help appreciating Devlin and Jeremy's job on them.

But there was no time for that. Already William was fighting them, throwing a black energy blast to scatter them. Jeremy was virtualizing the vehicles, and Ulrich was heading for his over bike. Carter swung a dagger at him, but he merely deflected it, sending it straight back. William took over then, heading straight for Ulrich, leaving Carter to deal with the rest of them.

That was fine with her.

Clutching her two daggers, she advanced. Yumi swung two fans her way, but Carter merely sliced them both in two. Yumi stepped back, totally stunned, and let Odd have a shot, literally. He shot two laser arrows at her, but she simply dodged by jumping and running on the wall (like a ninja!). Aelita shot a pink energy blast at her, but Carter threw a dagger straight into it, shattering it. The dagger was somehow undamaged and hit Aelita in the shoulder. She gave a yelp of pain and fell backwards. Jeremy had already virtualized new fans for Yumi, and she and Odd flanked Aelita. Carter jumped off the wall and snapped her fingers. The dagger dislocated itself from Aelita's shoulder and flew through the air into Carter's outstretched hand. She then continued to advance, albeit more slowly this time.

Yumi, Aelita, and Odd backed away slowly. They were completely bewildered over the fact that only one person could win in a three-on-one fight. They had known Carter was ridiculously strong, but never to this extent. "You are a very dangerous enemy to have," Odd told her without thinking.

And Carter did something that seemed almost normal. She rolled her shoulders and said, "You don't say?" in her most sarcastic tone. That was enough for Yumi to fling another set of fans at her. Because she was swatting them, she hadn't noticed Yumi running up to her, ready to fight with her bare hands. Carter quickly put away her weapons and instantly met Yumi's incoming fist.

Odd's over board had already been virtualized near him, so he and Aelita took off to fight the creepers. Jeremy was yelling about how the first shield was giving, so Aelita shot an energy blast at one of them, taking it out instantly. Odd noticed that Devlin was still firing. "Let me off here! I'll take care of Devlin, you take out the creeper!" He maneuvered the board near Devlin and jumped off, leaving Aelita to the monster.

Without even looking at Odd, Devlin shot at him. Odd dodged and then homed in closer, laser arrows ready. Just as he fired, Devlin shot his gun again and the two weapons collided, neutralizing each other. With his full attention on the purple cat boy, Devlin fired shot after shot of lasers, with Odd constantly dodging and firing back.

Ulrich wasn't fairing too well with William. Sure, he had wounded him a bit, but the triumph was always short lived. If it weren't for Aelita, he would have been devirtualized by now. Taking out the other creeper had been a cinch, so Aelita had looked over the battle and figured Ulrich needed the most help. Firing a pink energy blast at the lord of cockiness, she had distracted William long enough for Ulrich to give one last punishing blow. William went down, grunting with pain. He was outnumbered and, at this point, outmatched. So he did the only thing he could do; retreat back to XANA. He turned into super smoke and went on his merry way, back into the dark abyss he called home.

Ulrich and Aelita turned to survey the rest. Odd was on par with Devlin, both of them with only half of their life points left. Yumi was in serious trouble. Carter had her beat in all forms of hand to hand combat and she was losing life points fast. Ulrich jumped onto his bike and zoomed over with Aelita in tow. Aelita quickly hit Carter in the back with an energy field when she wasn't looking, but it didn't do anything to stop her from trying to annihilate Yumi.

That was when Ulrich swooped in and deflected Carter's fists with his katanas. Carter jumped back and drew her daggers, and then ran snarling at Ulrich. Carter had great stamina, Ulrich gave her that. But could she handle sword fighting? "I don't have any life points left, Ulrich!" Yumi yelled at him. "Let me handle this." Ulrich took one look at Yumi's defiant look, and decided to follow Aelita on the over bike.

Odd was having a tough time devirtualizing Devlin. It was clear that the brains of the operation was just that: brains. He wasn't that good at fighting, at least not on the level Carter was. That didn't mean he wasn't tough. Odd was tired, and his life points were down. He was running out of options.

And once again Aelita saved the day by blasting an energy field at Devlin, knocking him off his feet. Odd aimed and fired a laser arrow, not really caring where it hit.

It hit his head.

Devlin went down with little spots of electricity all over his head. His head rolled to the side, and his eyes fluttered. Odd cautiously walked over to him. "Did I just kill him?" he asked Ulrich and Aelita. "You can't really kill someone on Lyoko," Ulrich reminded him as he peered over his fallen friend.

Devlin's eyes snapped open and he sat up. His eyes were the color of the sky. He looked at his surroundings and asked, "Where the hell am I? Why aren't I at the dance?" Aelita explained the entire situation as Devlin slowly got to his feet. His face was grim as he heard the news. "I have a plan," he said. He beckoned for the others to come near.

* * *

><p>Yumi was down to her last ten life points. She was going to lose, and it was going to <em>hurt<em>. Carter would make sure of that. She looked alive, grinning like a madman, like she took pleasure in hurting Yumi. "What did those scientists do to you?" Yumi asked out loud. She didn't even know why asked it; she already knew the answer. "They trained me," Carter answered in a voice that sounded like she smoked a pack a day. "They wanted me to be the strongest. They got what they wanted."

"You could fight it, you know. Not do what they want you to do," Yumi said, body taut in a fighting stance. Carter looked at her with a gaze that almost sad. "I wouldn't mind that," she said almost wistfully before charging at Yumi again.

Yumi was prepared though. With a last ounce of strength, she slammed into Carter and sent her teetering over the edge. Yumi's face turned to horror at what she had just done. "No!" she screamed as Carter fell over the edge. She slumped to the ground, face in her hands. Then she looked over at her comrades. They were huddled over a newly freed Devlin, discussing something. Then Devlin looked over her way and terror flashed over his face. "Yumi, get out of there! NOW!"

She didn't know what he meant until it was too late. Carter was slowly levitating up. No, she wasn't levitating; _she was flying_. Great black bat wings unfurled as she slowly stepped onto the platform. Yumi scuttled away quickly and pressed her back against the wall. Her breath quickened and her heartbeat was out of control. Carter drew a single dagger. She looked like a demon in the night.

With a quick hand, Carter jabbed Yumi in the throat. Yumi let out a gasp at the pain before devirtualizing. Carter looked around her in time to see Odd homing in on her on his over board, a laser arrow at the ready. Ulrich and Devlin were on the over bike, with Devlin was pointing both of his guns at her. But where was Aelita?

Devlin had told Aelita about a particular upgrade Jeremy had installed just for her. There was a star shaped bracelet on her wrist, and if she waved her hand over it, she would receive a set of small, pink angel wings. They weren't nearly as imposing as Carter's demon wings, but they did their job.

Aelita was directly in front of Carter with two energy fields in both hands at her disposal. Carter was outnumbered once again. Like that would stop her.

She aimed for Aelita first, since she was so raring to go. She easily dodged the energy beams and was about to slice Aelita in half when she took a katana to the wing. She veered on one wing to the nearest platform before her wings were completely devirtualized. Odd hit her again in the foot with a laser arrow. Carter gritted her teeth, but refused to scream. She was at a great disadvantage and everyone knew it. How was Carter supposed to fight without a way to transport herself?

No one was really expecting her to fight. Devlin jumped off the over bike just opposite Carter. A moment's hesitation, and then they charged each other, blades and guns in hand. Devlin timed the shot just right; he had let Carter stab him from a few feet away just as he fired his final shot at Carter's head. Devlin devirtualized before he could look at the damage.

Electricity shot out of Carter's head as she screamed in pain. Then she abruptly stopped, and looked straight ahead of her with bleary eyes. Starting with her head, she slowly began to devirtualize. She fell to her knees, half of her gone. Before she could completely hit the ground, Carter was no longer on Lyoko.

* * *

><p>Devlin had been there when he saw Carter fall out of the scanner. He dragged himself over to her and pulled her away from the tube. Her ponytail holder had snapped, and her hair billowed out like a black halo around her head. Devlin looked up as the Lyoko warriors came back. The elevator was running; Jeremy and Yumi were on their way.<p>

When they were all assembled, Odd asked, "What the hell was all that about?" "When we went back to being soldiers, we gained back all the powers that we had back on the Wasteland. That would explain the wings," Devlin explained quickly. "And when I shot her, I was aiming for the part of the brain that stored suppressed memories."

"So that means…?" Ulrich began as the truth became clear.

"If I'm right, Carter will remember everything that the scientists made her forget."

* * *

><p><em>Do I even have to tell you what's coming up?<em>

_So tell me. Was this an awesome way to end the Halloween arc or what?_


	28. Chapter 26: Revelations

Chapter 26: Revelations

_For the last couple of days, I had actually thought about creating a sequel to this. It was the kids of the original Lyoko warriors discovering Lyoko and the Super Soldier project and trying to stop them and a new virus like XANA._

_And then I realized there are hundreds of those types of stories on here. Does anybody actually read those?_

* * *

><p>When the Lyoko warriors came back to the dorm, it was almost lights out. Yumi had to leave for home, so the others had to brace Jim while carrying an unconscious Carter to her room. Once they had successfully done so, they laid Carter on her bed in her costume. Aelita removed her boots to make her more comfortable. All that time Carter hadn't stirred, not giving any signs of life other than her chest moving to show that she was breathing. Devlin had explained that when he shot her, he hit the part that held suppressed or forgotten memories. He deduced that Carter might not wake up any time soon, and that it would probably be very bad if they tried to wake her.<p>

And _of course_ they wanted to shake her awake to make sure she was okay! For the love of God, she was probably remembering the most awful things right now! But Devlin had been adamant, and Jeremy had reluctantly agreed with him. So the others bid Aelita good night and went back to their respective dorms, leaving the poor girl alone with her comatose roommate.

"You better be okay after this, Carter," Aelita mumbled as she peered over at Carter's sleeping face.

* * *

><p><em>It was the day of my parents' funeral. I was in a black mourning dress, with my uncle and grandparents flanking me on either side. The caskets were closed, and only a few people were left, since the funeral was over. My grandfather suddenly handed me an old caramel; he did that sometimes, for no apparent reason. He was a handsome man, with dark brown hair with a bit of gray, and eyes the color of freshly cut grass. He was usually a happy man, but today he looked like he was going to cry. I couldn't blame him.<em>

_I walked away from the adults to the caskets. I popped the caramel in my mouth and had to immediately spit it back out. It had tasted far too sweet and had stuck to my tongue like cement. I looked back at the caskets. My eyes were rimmed from crying and from sleepless nights, and I thought that I should cry today, but I couldn't. This would be the last time I would get together with my parents because they would get buried together in a private ceremony, like my grandparents had wanted. The last image of my parents, and it would be them in a box, cold and lifeless. The cruelty was too overwhelming._

_A hand suddenly clamped onto my shoulder. It was my grandmother, dressed impeccably in a designer black suit. "Would you like to get your mind off of this?" she asked seriously. I had no idea what she had in store for me, but it had to be better than this nightmare._

* * *

><p><em>It was later that day. I was still in my funeral dress, and I was being strapped into a pod that looked like it came from a sci-fi movie. My uncle Henry was peering over me, looking as bedraggled as I felt. He was petting my hair as Grandfather strapped me in. Grandmother was by the controls, preparing for my transfer.<em>

"_This isn't going to hurt her, is it?" My uncle asked worriedly. "It won't," Grandfather promised. He then looked at me and said, "You're going to a virtual world with creatures and places you have never seen before. There will be children waiting for you there, to guide you throughout the world." "A virtual world?" I asked feebly. "You mean like a video game?" Grandfather grinned. "Exactly like a video game," he answered, tapping my nose. For the first time since my parents died, I smiled._

"_Everything's ready," Grandmother announced. Grandfather gently pulled Uncle Henry away. He swiftly grabbed my hand and gave a little squeeze before allowing himself to be pulled away. The lid closed with a hiss and I couldn't see them anymore. My eyesight grew dimmer, so I closed my eyes and waited for the white oblivion to come._

* * *

><p><em>When I woke up, I was twenty feet up in the air.<em>

_My landing was not graceful._

_I was in the mountains, and it was freaking beautiful. I would have gotten a whiff of that fresh mountain air, only I couldn't _breathe_. I started panicking, but I forced myself to calm down. I was in a video game; of course I couldn't breathe. _

_I started walking around, looking for any signs of life. Grandfather had promised that there would be kids my own age here, waiting for me. Where were they?_

_And that was when the arrows landed near my feet. I jerked back quickly and searched the area around wildly. And that was when I saw them: a blond girl in a pink shirt and matching pants, holding a bow and smirking nastily, and a red-headed boy with the same outfit, only in blue. He had a guns holster strapped around his waist, and he looked angry. _

"_What the bloody hell, Stacey?" the boy in blue cried. "What the bloody HELL?" I cringed involuntarily, not used to such terrible language. "I just wanted to scare her a little," the girl called Stacey whined. I could already tell that I hated her._

_The blue boy walked over to me, holding out a hand. "Sorry about that," he said in his thick British accent. "My name's Devlin. What's yours?" "Catherina, but you can call me Carter." I shook his hand awkwardly, not sure on what to say. "Your, what, eight years old?" he asked. _

"_Yes…"_

"_Good, you're the same age as the rest of us." I didn't get it; how did Devlin get away with swearing? If I did that, my parents would have… And then I remembered why I was here. My throat started to close up on me and I made a choking noise._

"_What's wrong with her?" Stacey asked Devlin. Devlin shot her a mean look, and looked with honest concern over at me. "Your parents just died, haven't they." It wasn't a question. "How-" I began, but he cut me off. "My parents died a while back too. But don't worry, the scientists will keep you too busy to think about it. Come on, I'll show you your new home." He began walking to the north. "What is he talking about?" I asked Stacey even though I didn't want to._

"_You don't know? The scientists won't let you leave for a while. So get comfortable." And with that, she sashayed away. I had no choice but to follow them._

_It wasn't a long walk. They led me to a giant tower with a strange white mist hovering at the top. "This is where you'll be staying for the time being," Devlin announced to me. "There are four sectors you need to know. There are thirteen of these way towers in total. You can rest in here to get your life points up. Any questions?"_

"_Yeah; what exactly are we doing here?" I asked. This was a video game. Where were the monsters that we had to defeat? As if to answer my question, large trembles shook the ground, though they sounded more like pulsations. The tower in front of us turned red._

"_Get your weapons ready," Devlin ordered, taking out a pair of silver guns. Stacey took an arrow out of her sheath and drew it on the bow. I looked at my outfit, which was just a copy of Stacey's, only in black. There was a silver belt strapped to my waist, with two sheaths for blades. I drew out a pair of silver daggers that looked wickedly sharp. _

"_What are we fighting?" I asked Devlin as I looked out in front of me. And that was when I heard the buzzing. I whirled around, only to get shot in the chest by a laser. I flew backwards a few feet, landing on my butt. Four green hornets were aimed right at me. Stacey immediately shot an arrow at one of them, hitting it. Devlin got two of them with a shot from each of his guns. I got up and was prepared to take on the last hornet when I heard a rustling behind me._

_Three blocks with a weird eye symbol on all of its sides were aimed at us. I ran at them, despite warnings from Devlin. I jumped and landed on the middle one and plunged my dagger into its eye. I drew it back and jumped onto the next one as the injured block began to explode. I tried to do the same move as before, but a laser was preparing to fire at me. I leaped off as I heard the middle block explode. The other two aimed at me again, and just as I was about to go at them again, they both exploded. Stacey was standing over the remains, her sheath empty. "Yo, scientists! Time for a reload!" she yelled at the sky. I had no idea what she was yelling about. Then I heard a booming voice from all around me. "Reload of arrows commencing. Reload of energy bullets starting now. Devlin, Stacey, you each have one hundred life points. Carter, you have ninety life points left. Do try to be careful." _

_I looked at Devlin and Stacey. "How do we get life points back?" I asked them. "You get them back to a hundred if you rest in the tower," Devlin explained. "Now watch yourself. There could be more of those coming."_

"_If we just deactivated the tower than we wouldn't have to worry about it," Stacey remarked haughtily. "Don't you get it, you tart? The reason why this exercise is so simple is to get Carter used to the fighting. We can't deactivate it just yet. We have to let Carter know her monsters." Devlin sighed impatiently. "Can you not talk like I'm not here?" I said, annoyed._

_And that was when we heard the rumbling, rolling sound. I turned, and a single mega tank was opening itself and beginning to fire its laser at us. I felt adrenaline rush through my veins as I thought of how exciting this was. It really _was_ like a video game!_

_Without thinking about it, I rushed towards it and barely dodged its stupidly large laser as it fired. I kept running, not caring about the danger. The mega tank closed its shell and tried to run me over. I jumped and landed on it. It opened and started to fire, but I plunged my dagger into its strange eye and leaped off just as it exploded._

_Devlin and Stacey ran over to me, completely stunned. "That was the most idiotic thing I have ever seen," Devlin remarked. "Not bad." "Beginner's luck," Stacey mumbled. There was a silver light coming from one of my sheaths; the scientists were rematerializing my dagger. I had lost the one in the explosion. _

"_I think that's enough for the day. Stacey, go devirtualized the tower," Devlin ordered her. Stacey ran back to the tower, and soon it was back to its neutral white glory. "Can I go in now?" I asked excitedly. Devlin smiled a sad smile at me. "Sure," he said, and we walked to the way tower._

* * *

><p><em>And that was the beginning of my virtual adventures on the Wasteland. I fought with Stacey and Devlin on all four sectors, surviving all sorts of apocalypses: meteors falling from the sky, one where all the plants turned into monsters and tried to kill us, a nuclear wasteland devoid of all hope, and even a zombie apocalypse, to name a few. And then there were XANA attacks in between, where I kicked serious ass. Pretty soon the scientists were taking a special interest in me, giving me a shield, a set of bat wings as big as I was, super strength, you name it.<em>

_In between, Devlin and I kept each other company. He explained to me all about the project and what they were really doing to us. And that was when everything, all the fear and bad things that I had ignored, hit me like a ton of bricks. Devlin let me cry when I finally understood. When I wasn't sad about my parents or about the fact that I would never have a real life, Devlin and I surfed what little Internet access we were allowed. We didn't bother with Stacey; she was a bitch, so who cared, right?_

_And then came what I called the Big Sleep, when the project went offline for seven or so years. I didn't know what was going on, but then again, I was comatose for all that time. When they finally reopened the project, things got worse._

_They upgraded our uniforms and took us out into the real world. I got to visit my uncle, who was doing much better now that he was a teacher in the military. The scientists trained us, giving us incredible strength and agility outside of Lyoko. I especially had the hardest time. I could remember hurting after a particular surgery when they shoved a bunch of microchips in my body to enhance my nerves or muscles or something. I honestly didn't understand it very well._

_I hated the project. I hated Vivian, my grandfather Nikola, and everyone involved in this stupid project. I despised the pain of the surgeries, the constant fighting on the Wasteland, the way the white coats treated me, like I was a monster and not a human being. They turned me into this monstrosity, for God's sake!_

_I could tell Uncle Henry knew it. He somehow convinced Vivian to let me go, on the condition that I went back to the project before I reached adulthood. To make sure I wasn't crazy enough to spill the operation, they suppressed my memories and put in new ones. And then I was off to live with my uncle like a normal kid, just like I always wanted. I didn't even get to say good-bye to Devlin, my only true friend in that hellhole._

_I went to a normal high school, where the girls dressed like prostitutes and where the boys acted like complete fools. They took a special interest in bullying me, shoving me in the school hallways, spreading false rumors about me behind my back, writing hateful things on my locker in permanent marker. I hated my life; my only solace was that I was smart enough to eventually get away from it all, to go to college far away from there. _

_And then I entered the contest to go to Kadic Academy in France. Lydia Brenner, Alex Graham, and Dana Bogus all taunted me, saying I would never win the scholarship. I took way too much pleasure when I saw their faces when I _did_ win._

_And then came my crazy adventures at Kadic, with Odd, Aelita, Jeremy, Ulrich, Yumi, and eventually Devlin. I was happy not knowing what happened to me during my time on the Wasteland. _

_I can never go back to that state of bliss._

* * *

><p>So, how was it? I didn't go too in depth on the experiments, since this story is rated T and all. Please rate and review!<p> 


	29. Chapter 27: I'm Okay, Really

Chapter 27: I'm Okay, Really

_Just over a week ago, I found out what stats where for stories (I know, I know, I'm still a complete noob with this website). Today, I saw that this story reached over 1,000 hits, and it's all thanks to you guys. Seriously, you're the best, and I can't thank you enough for it._

_Anyway, for this chapter, I plan on just clearing up a few things with Carter and Devlin. And no, I don't plan on making a love triangle with them and Odd. This story wasn't meant to be a romance._

_Before I forget: I don't like Aelita's fourth season outfit, so I'm going to change it. The next outfit change she has should be the permanent one. The same thing applies for Carter, Devlin, and Stacey._

* * *

><p>When I woke up, it was four in the morning. I rolled to the side to see Aelita snoring peacefully away. I stood up and crept to my armoire and grabbed my white bathrobe. I then slithered out of my costume and draped the short robe over my body. I grabbed my shampoo, conditioner, a white towel, and a brush, and quietly walked out the room.<p>

It was near dark out in the hallway, save for the dim lighting. I squinted and made my way to the showers. I could hear the creaks and groans of the kids in bed as I walked down the hall. I had picked a good time to shower; not even Jim would be stalking the hallways at this hour.

The showers were completely empty, just like I had hoped. I went to the farthest shower stall in there, all the way in the back. I hung up my bathrobe and put my shampoo and conditioner on the small metal rack that every stall had. I then turned on the shower, letting a strong blast of lukewarm water wash over me.

Only then did I let the tears fall.

* * *

><p>After I was done with the body-wracking sobs, I stood up from my crouched position and painfully straightened my back. I then washed my hair with my favorite lemon-scented shampoo and matching conditioner. I brushed out my hair while there was still conditioner in it so it wouldn't be a tangled mess later. Then I washed the residue off the brush. I quickly rinsed off and dried off with the towel. I put on my bathrobe and dried my hair with the damp towel. With the towel draped over my shoulders like a blanket, I grabbed all of my necessities, which had thankfully stayed more or less dry over the course of the shower. I then stalked out of the bathroom and back into my room.<p>

It was now five in the morning. Aelita would be waking up soon. I spread the towel over my pillow and laid my head on it. I then closed my eyes and went into a state of restless and dreamless sleep.

Unfortunately, I woke up to my alarm clock. Aelita had already turned hers off, and was now rubbing her eyes. I quickly shot off mine and sat up, only to realize that my hair was plastered to not only my face, but to the towel as well.

And then Aelita remembered what had happened last night. "How are you feeling, Carter?" she asked as she threw off her bed covers. "Other than a slight chill, fine," I mumbled, trying to sever my hair from the towel. Aelita took in my outfit and said, "Do you remember anything?" I stared at her; how did she know? "How do you know?" I asked out loud, using my fingers as a comb and running them through my hair.

"Devlin shot you in the head. He said there was a good chance of you remembering the project," Aelita explained. I swallowed. "…I remember," I croaked. Aelita took one look at my face and gathered me in her arms, rocking me back and forth. "What are you, my mother?" I joked, but there was no humor in it. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "No. And I don't think I ever will," I admitted softly. I gently untangled myself from her arms and walked to my armoire. "Just because I remember the project doesn't mean the world has ended. We still have school."

"True. But you have to remember that we're always here for you," Aelita replied, staring at me. "I know that Aelita. I really do. But this isn't something just anyone can understand." I met her gaze. Her eyes shown with unshed tears. She really wanted to help, to understand, but no one deserved what happened to me. No one did. "Come on. We have to get ready for school," I concluded as I got out some clothes. Aelita walked over to her armoire and did the same.

All I wanted right now was to be normal. And the first normal thing that came to mind was school. I put on a pair of new jeans (my first pair of actual French jeans! It doesn't get any better than that), a pair of clean black Van sneakers, and a black Beatles band shirt with a color picture of their Abbey Road album; you know, the one where the Beatles are walking across that street. Look it up.

Aelita was still in her steam punk stage: she was wearing the pink corset she wore on Halloween, but she had paired it with a pair of thin solid pink arm warmers to cover her arms. She wore jeans with her tan boots, and she had attached her golden pocket watch to her waist. She also had the pink steam punk goggles to complete the look.

I studied her appraisingly. "Not bad," I told her truthfully. "You don't look so bad yourself," Aelita said with her usual smile. I was already starting to feel normal for a change.

But there were still the others that I had to deal with. When the two of us met up with them, they had immediately wanted to know if I was okay. Aelita's glare silenced them instantly. Devlin was nowhere to be seen. Just as well; I wasn't ready to face him just yet.

After a somewhat normal breakfast, it was first period English for Ulrich and me. The teacher was droning on about grammar. I was trying to engross myself into the lesson when Ulrich suddenly passed me a note. All it said was _**Are you really okay? **_I told him the truth: _I will be._ I passed the note back to him and ignored him for the rest of class.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. The others tried their best to act like everything was normal, but pretty soon they were going to snap and ask me what was really weighing on their minds. To be honest, I wasn't prepared for that. So I excused myself to the band room, hoping that it would be empty.

* * *

><p>"Okay, seriously, why isn't she talking?" Odd demanded from Aelita after Carter was out of earshot. Odd's voice toned down when he saw the look on Aelita's face. "She won't say anything!" she said, desperately trying not to cry. "But it's not like any of us can understand what happened to her back at the project. Even if we tried…" Aelita trailed off, so close to tears. Yumi gave her a one-armed hug for comfort.<p>

"There's only one person we know who can understand," Jeremy said solemnly. Everyone knew who he was talking about, and Odd did not look very happy about that. "Where is Devlin, anyway?" Ulrich asked no one in particular.

* * *

><p>The band room was totally empty when I came by; the sign on the door said that band practice would be on the field for the day. And they had completely left the drum kit wide out in the open.<p>

I needed to let out a whole lot of stress and anger. I wasn't angry at my friends, but I was stressed out over their concern. I know they do it because they care, but there was only so much I could take without feeling like I was suffocating in their sincerity.

And anger, lots and lots of anger. Anger at the scientists, anger at Uncle Henry for letting them experiment on me, anger at myself for getting duped by them, anger at my parents for not believing that Vivian was a real threat… I just couldn't keep it bottled up. I attacked the drums, not practicing any particular song, but just lots and lots of frustrated notes. I didn't stop playing, not even when my arms felt like lead and I could hardly breathe. Exhaustion was the only thing that stopped me from going any further.

Over my incessant drumming, I hadn't heard Devlin strolling in. I knew I had to be somewhat angry with him, but I just couldn't.

Neither of us said anything at first. Devlin looked at me with a poker face, and I was still breathing heavy. Finally, I asked, "Why didn't you say anything?" "What could I say?" he shrugged. "You didn't remember anything, and acting like best friends would have freaked you out." He looked calm, but that may have just been his color choice. He was wearing a lot of blue: blue jeans, blue and white sneakers, and a blue tee shirt with the Superman logo on his chest in red. He was still really freckly, and he had grown out his hair a bit, so it was barely touching his shoulders.

"Why didn't you help me remember?"

"I thought that you might have wanted to remember on your own. If I had just told you, who knows what would have happened."

I couldn't say anything to that. And besides, I wasn't all that mad with him to begin with. Confused, yes, but not mad. "Tell me, Devlin, were we just friends back on the Wasteland?" I asked straight out. The thought had definitely occurred to me, and I needed to know.

Devlin looked me straight in the eye. "Carter, I'll be honest. I love you. You were the closest thing to family I had back on the Wasteland. But we were just that; family, and nothing more." I believed him.

"You know, I've always wanted to be in a band," he said suddenly. No doubt he wanted to change the subject. "Like what?" I asked, thankful for the distraction. "Like singing," Devlin murmured, blushing beet red. I blinked. I hadn't been expecting that.

"Okay… Know any good songs?" I asked. I was still dead tired, but one or two more songs couldn't hurt. "I know one My Chemical Romance song by heart," Devlin admitted. "'I'm Not Okay (I Promise).'" I was already tapping out the beat. Devlin took a deep breath and started.

_Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say.__  
><em>_I never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way.__  
><em>_For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took,__  
><em>_Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?_

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. Devlin was actually really good. Sure, his voice squeaked a little at a few of the higher notes, but he kept on singing. I honestly think Devlin could go pro if he wanted to.

_I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_You wear me out_

* * *

><p>Devlin knew this song by heart, which is why he had let his mind wander when he was singing.<p>

He had lied-no, half-lied was a better word- to Carter about before. When she had first arrived on the Wasteland, he felt an instant infatuation with her. Who could blame him, when the only other girl was a complete brat?

_What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?__  
><em>_(I'm not okay)__  
><em>_I've told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means__  
><em>_(I'm not okay)__  
><em>_To be a joke and look, another line without a hook__  
><em>_I held you close as we both shook for the last time take a good hard look!_

But then Devlin had realized that if he showed any feelings towards Carter, the scientists might use them. So Devlin had suppressed them, acting the part of the best friend in hopes of forgetting. And it had worked; after a while he only saw her as something close to a sister. His crush had ended, but Devlin hadn't lied about loving her. It was just familial love is all.

_I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_You wear me out_

_Forget about the dirty looks__  
><em>_The photographs your boyfriend took__  
><em>_You said you read me like a book, but the pages all are torn and frayed_

But occasionally, Devlin felt a little pang in his chest. It didn't happen when he saw Carter, not necessarily. It happened when she saw her with Aelita or Ulrich or any of their other friends. For the longest time the two of them only had each other; now Carter had made other really close friends. He had too, of course, but he still missed those instances in captivity when all they had was each other for company.

_I'm okay__  
><em>_I'm okay!__  
><em>_I'm okay, now__  
><em>_(I'm okay, now)_

_But you really need to listen to me__  
><em>_Because I'm telling you the truth__  
><em>_I mean this, I'm okay!__  
><em>_(Trust Me)_

But Devlin was a big boy now. He could handle this separation. Sure, Carter remembered their friendship, but things were different now. Things would never be the same, but it wasn't like they weren't friends anymore. It would have to take some adjusting. And hey, maybe they could close again; maybe not like before, but it was something to hold on to.

_I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_Well, I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not o-fucking-kay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_I'm not okay__  
><em>_(Okay)_

* * *

><p><em>I hadn't realized how repetitive that song was until just now. It sounds so much better on the CD, I swear.<em>

_I had kind of planned on Stacey making an appearance, but I'll leave that for next time. As usual, I want to hear your opinions. Review please!_


	30. Chapter 28: Despicable Plans

Chapter 28: Despicable Plans

_Recently I've been getting into the band Orange. One of their songs really speaks to me. I want to use it at one point in the story, only it would be a time error._

_Screw it, I'll use it anyway._

* * *

><p>Stacey was not a happy person. The white coats had not contacted her since Halloween. When she saw Carter and Devlin the next day, she knew the plan had failed. But what did that mean for her? Did that mean Stacey was no longer useful to the scientists? Why wouldn't they send a message or something?<p>

Stacey sneezed. She had acquired a small cold when she ran through the sewers to get to the Seine River to throw away the transmitter and distorter. The night had been surprisingly chilling after being in an auditorium full of kids.

Stacey looked at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. A ruffled pink top with a denim miniskirt and somewhat practical pink strappy sandals was her new outfit. A cute ensemble, really. But then again, Stacey always tried to be cute; she attracted a surprisingly large amount of attention that way. Stacey smirked. The girls who thought that wearing revealing outfits attracted more men were wrong. It was the more chaste girls who got the cute guys.

Stacey looked out her dorm window at the scene below. Her minions Paul and Jean were walking out onto the courtyard, laughing at something in their conversation. The only reason why they weren't with Stacey was because she had made up the excuse that if she didn't ace the next chemistry test she would be in major trouble. They had understood and were trying not to bother her.

Stacey didn't have any bad grades; she tried to keep a solid "B" average. Unlike Carter and Devlin, she wasn't a genius, and the scientists never did try to make her smarter. They only tutored her in normal subjects, like basic math and science. They only kept her smart enough so as not to oppose them later; a smart move on their part.

Stacey glanced at her cell phone for the umpteenth time that day. Why weren't they contacting her?

* * *

><p>Devlin and I were in the park surrounding Kadic, both with our Lyoko weapons in hand. We were fighting, but we were grinning all the same.<p>

I suddenly kicked the back of Devlin's head, knocking him face first into the dirt. He spat out grass as he got up. "Damn, that hurt!" he exclaimed as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Sorry! I guess I'm stronger than I thought," I said sheepishly as my daggers suddenly pixilated and disappeared. They did that when I didn't need them anymore. "I know you're stronger than the average human. You don't really need the training," Devlin thought out loud as his guns disappeared as well. "If you say so. Want to head back now?" I asked, already making my way into the forest. "You go first, and then I'll start walking after ten or so minutes. That way no one suspects anything going on between us." Devlin got out his phone and stared at the clock.

I walked to the academy, hoping the others weren't looking for me. Today had also been weird, but then they heard from Aelita that I didn't want to talk about my memories, and they had more or less backed off.

They were by our usual bench, chatting about something. I tapped Ulrich on the shoulder when I came up to them. "What up?" I asked him. "Apparently Einstein's having trouble with sending us through the Internet," he answered, pointing a thumb at Jeremy. He was holding a cup of what appeared to be hot chocolate and frowning. "It's much harder than I thought," Jeremy said, disheartened.

"Dude, you're trying to send a bunch of people through the Internet. Of course it'll have a few snags," I reasoned. "We've already told him that," Yumi said morosely. Jeremy just looked perplexed.

I didn't notice Devlin walking up to me until he tapped me on the shoulder. I looked at him and pointed at Jeremy. He simply nodded. Of course he would know; he was working on the project too.

"So is it true that there's a rec room on the campus?" Devlin asked suddenly, distracting everyone from the problem at hand. "You've never heard of it?" Aelita asked, surprised. "No, not really," Devlin said, looking sad. He must have been really cooped up in the factory.

"It should be open. Let's go check it out," Odd said for the first time in that conversation-which was probably a first for him.

* * *

><p>The recreation room was teaming with students, who were chatting and laughing and playing the games that were available to them. They were all drinking sodas from the vending machine, the only decent one the school had to offer. Devlin immediately eyed the foosball table and whirled around to me. "I bet I can kick your ass at foosball," he sneered good-naturedly. "Oh, no you <em>didn't<em>," Carter said, and they both ran to the empty game table.

Yumi rolled her eyes at them before Aelita whisked her away to the TV, where a school-approved movie was starting. The rest of the boys took refuge on an empty sofa.

"So Odd, how are things with Carter?" Jeremy asked suddenly, catching his friend off guard. "Good, I guess," Odd answered blithely. Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "You're not sure of what to make of the whole memory situation," he stated. Odd sighed. "I wish she would talk to me about it, but it's not like I would understand anyway." He looked over at his girlfriend, smiling and laughing and she played foosball with Devlin.

"So tell me, have you guys made out yet?" Ulrich asked with a leer. Hey, he could act like that if he wanted to. Odd looked at him. "Have you and Yumi made out yet?" Ulrich grimaced in response. Jeremy snickered at the two of them, and then he turned serious. "You do know that people are questioning your relationship because neither of you act like boyfriend and girlfriend," he said to Odd. "People should mind their own business," Odd snapped before getting up. "Anyone want a drink?"

"Do you have money for all of us?"

"No…"

Ulrich and Jeremy forked over their money and gave their orders before Odd left for the vending machine. Sissi was over there with her girl friends, talking excitingly about something. "What's up, Sissi?" Odd was no longer rude to Sissi; she had become much nicer to the student population recently, making it much harder to tease her. "Some students from America are visiting Kadic before Christmas," Sissi said.

"Really? Where are they from?"

"San Diego, I think. I'll have to ask my dad."

"Why are they coming to France then? Why not in the summer, like everyone else?"

"I guess it's to see Paris at Christmas time," Sissi shrugged as she turned back to her friends.

_San Diego, huh? _Odd thought as he ordered the vending machine to cough up the sodas. _I wonder if they're the same kids from Carter's school._

* * *

><p>I was feeling <em>very <em>happy when I whipped Devlin's butt in foosball three times. We both bought drinks at the vending machine-both Cokes; Pepsi was too sweet- and made our way to the guys. Yumi and Aelita were watching _Grease, _one of the many things Aelita had never seen before, thanks to be being locked up in the super computer for so long.

"Don't talk to Devlin right now. He's sore over the fact that I annihilated him in foosball," I gloated as the two of us sat down. He glared at me. "Don't talk about me like that," he snapped before sticking out his tongue. I did the same to him.

"And you say I'm immature," Odd stated in a monotone as he watched us. "That's because you are," Jeremy pointed out. "So what's new?" I asked, gulping down Coke- kicking ass took a lot out of you.

"Some kids from San Diego are visiting Kadic before Christmas." I nearly did a spit take right there. Instead, I opted to just choke instead. Since I was kind of sandwiched between Odd and Ulrich, they both thumped me on the back repeatedly until I was better.

"I take it your surprised," Jeremy pointed out unhelpfully. "You don't say?" Devlin said sarcastically for my benefit. "Something tells me you don't like the kids back at your old school," Ulrich stated, looking at me. "That something would be right," I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

"What exactly happened?" Devlin asked. A-hah. There was something even he didn't know about me. I just shrugged. "The school was full of bitches and idiot jocks. Obviously they picked on me for not fitting in."

"Harsh," was all Odd could say. Well, of course it was. I refuse to talk about that. It was simply not worth remembering. Only now I had too. If those kids really were from my old school, what would I do? I didn't think I could fake sick for their visit. "How long are they staying for, anyway?" I asked. "Not sure. They're just visiting; it probably won't be more than a day or so," Ulrich said soothingly. I was starting to feel better already.

And besides, I've taken way more crap from the scientists then those bastards in San Diego. I could deal with them. Hopefully.

* * *

><p>Stacey was at the factory. She just couldn't stay holed up in her room and she didn't really have anywhere else to go. She was in the elevator, going to the super computer room just to think about her next move. The room was humming with activity even with no one in it. The hologram showing all four sectors was a bit blinding for Stacey to look at.<p>

And then genius struck her like lightning. She walked over to the computer and tried to access Jeremy's recent project. Jeremy's password for that file was, naturally, _Aelita._ Stacey rolled her eyes before examining the contents. It was a ship of some sort, shaped sort of like a jet with a bunch of pods attached to it. What its purpose was, Stacey didn't know, nor did she care. It was all Stacey could do from laughing out loud as she messed with the programming. And then she erased all the videos that contained her by herself in the factory, just in case. It wasn't all that hard; she had picked it up from Devlin when he and Carter would sneak out of the laboratory and play in the hallways but didn't want anyone to catch them doing so.

If the scientists ever did contact her, Stacey would really have something to brag about.

* * *

><p>Alex Graham was a very happy girl. She was going strong with Chet, the most popular boy in school, and she and her two favorite friends were visiting France before Christmas. It had been troublesome to argue with her parents about all the schoolwork she would miss and that it was right before a major holiday, but they eventually relented. Alexandria Jessica Graham always got what she wanted, no matter what.<p>

Except for that scholarship pick to France. Alex fumed as she remembered the mortification she got when that slut Carter sneered at her when they announced the winner of the contest. Admittedly, Carter Wilder had been kind of a shoe-in for the spot, since her grades were incredible- not that Alex would ever admit that out loud. She and her friends Lydia and Dana spray painted the word "whore" in all caps over her locker after school, but the anger and humiliation had stayed afterwards.

Alex quickly texted her friends: _OMG I just remembered how Carter one-upped us and went to France! We need to do something to remind her who's in charge._

Lydia: _Your damn rite! But what r we gonna do?_

Dana: _I say we start a rumor about what a slut she is._

Alex rolled her eyes at Lydia's text. That girl seriously needed to go back to grade school and re-learn how to spell. Alex texted: _Not bad, but it has to be worse than that._

Dana: _Steal something and then blame it on her?_

Lydia: _Publickly embaras her?_

Alex loved both of their ideas. She then had a rapid-fire text frenzy of all the horrible things they could do to Carter. God, she hated that girl, ever since she laid eyes on her. People had actually tried to befriend her earlier, but a few convenient texts and lies fixed that. But then whenever they bullied her, she would remain stoic and proud, like she was better than them. No one was better than Alex Graham. _No one. _But no matter what they did to her, she refused to show weakness. Thank God her parents donated so much to the high school or she would never have gotten away with all the stuff she did to Carter. Not that anyone felt any sympathy towards _her_.

The French trip was going to be a lot of fun.

* * *

><p><em>And once again I give Carter a ton of crap to deal with. That won't be for a while though.<em>

_I apologize for the horrible spelling in the last part. I just thought that was how mean girls texted. I'm sure some of them do._

_I was thinking of a confrontation between the four of them since I don't want this to be a big deal, but what do you guys think?_


	31. Chapter 29: The First Snowfall

Chapter 29: The First Snowfall

_I recently read the book _Going Bovine _by Libba Bray. It's all about this underachiever who gets mad cow disease and has a bunch of crazy hallucinations, only he doesn't know that. One of his hallucinations is an angel with pink spiky hair and a pixie face. Sound familiar?_

_It's a hefty read, but I highly recommended it. Here's some of the crazy stuff Bray has thought up for it: a main character dying of mad cow disease, a punk angel, a dwarf who thinks he might be allergic to everything, a mad doctor who discovered a way through time and space and who might have a cure for mad cow disease, an evil wizard, fire giants, a happiness cult, a Norse god forced into the body of an ordinary lawn gnome, and hundreds of not-so-random coincidences._

_It just goes to show you that you don't have to be crazy or on drugs to have an insane imagination._

* * *

><p>My old classmates-supposedly- were coming in the middle of December, for one day in Paris. They would stop by Kadic for a couple of hours, and then be on their way to the next attraction. I had to thank Sissi for the information.<p>

I'm a coward, I admit it. I'm terrified of the scientists and of my past. At least with the scientists, I have my friends to back me up. My classmates were a completely different matter.

All I had to do was fake sick on that day. No problem.

* * *

><p>The next XANA attacked happened in the middle of November.<p>

We were in Mrs. Hertz's class when snow started falling from the sky. Kids immediately started to clamor and press their faces to the window to get a good view. I was one of them.

"Students, would be so kind as to go back to your seats? We still have a lesson to continue," Mrs. Hertz said sharply before the bell rang. If I wasn't so amazed at the sight of actual snow, I would have laughed.

Students from all over the school were rushing out of their classes to catch the first flakes. Once I was outside, I immediately stuck out my tongue to catch one. "First time seeing snow?" Jeremy asked from behind me. "Yeah," I answered, giving up on that. My tongue was starting to freeze anyway.

And that was when the first snowball hit me. I stood stock still as the shock wore off, cold, melting snow slithering down my neck. I turned just in time to see Odd and Devlin snickering at me. "You are going _down_," I vowed as I gathered enough snow for two people and packed them into ball form. I immediately threw them both when I was done. Odd and Devlin should have seen them coming; the look on their faces was absolutely priceless.

The three of us weren't the only ones having a snowball fight. The entire school was playing in the whiteness, making snow angels and snowmen and throwing snow at each other. Yumi had somehow snuck up on us and put snow down Ulrich's back, starting a playful war between the two.

I wasn't the only one who was seeing the snow as if it were the first time. Aelita was staring up at the sky with the biggest smile on her face. I knew that she had been in the mountains for a while with her family before her mother was taken away. Something like this had to be bringing back some powerful memories. At least Jeremy was right beside her, trying to comfort her. I decided not to interfere.

I turned to see Odd three feet in front of me, the most impish smile on his face. He held a snowball in each hand. "Son of a bitch," I muttered when he threw them at me. Only one hit me, on the shoulder. I was able to dodge the other one in time. I scooped up some of the fluffy white stuff and threw it at Odd, hitting him in the stomach. He gasped, and then rolled over to make snow angels. I followed his lead, and we got to talking.

"So you've really never seen snow before?" Odd asked. "Not real snow. There's this snowboarding place in San Francisco with snow, but it's all fake," I added as I laid there, snowflakes falling on me like a hazy dream. "How about you?" I asked him. I think he shrugged. "Sometimes; I live in the part of Italy that doesn't really have seasons." Odd sat up suddenly. Snow was plastered to his hair like a funny halo.

"Same thing with California, dude. We mostly just have a summery climate." I sat up as well. I could feel the wet stickiness of the snow clinging to my hair. "San Diego's lucky to get twelve inches of rain a year." I made a face. I thought of rain and snow as pretty awesome. I mean, everything always smelled so fresh and clean after a storm, like it was washing away all the dirt humanity was creating. Snow was usually a blinding white color, coating the earth in its purity and setting right wrongs. At least, that was how I saw it. No other Californian would think like that; they were too used to heat and sea breezes.

Of course the light snowfall had to turn into a blizzard.

Students ran screaming back into the buildings, trying to stay warm. Odd and I shot up just in time for Devlin to grab my shoulder. "We have to get to the dorms and get coats!" he yelled into my ear because the wind was howling. Behind him was the rest of the gang, holding hands in a chain link. "It's a XANA attack!" Jeremy added, holding onto Aelita's hand for dear life.

Odd and I grabbed each other's hands and once I had grabbed Devlin's frigid hand, we ran straight for the dorms. The snow was blinding and dangerous. I officially disliked snow now.

* * *

><p>We were in the dorms now, each in our respective rooms trying to find decent winter clothes. Yumi was with Aelita and me, and we threw sweaters and jackets for her to put on. After the three of us were decked out in winter gear, we ran to meet the boys.<p>

They were waiting for us on their floor. "Where to?" I asked Jeremy. "There's an entrance to the factory in the gym," he answered as we all ran down the stairs. "There is?" Devlin asked, surprised. I was too, to be honest. We usually took the sewer route when going to the factory.

"Yeah. The sewers are easier, though. I mean, if XANA attacks in the middle of a school day, and we have to go the factory, it would be pretty hard to explain why the girls would need to go into the boys' locker room," Jeremy explained as we neared the dorm's front entrance. "Why the hell is it always the guys' locker room?" I complained as Ulrich threw open the door.

White. Just whiteness _everywhere. _We could hardly see two feet in front of us, much less the gym. Nevertheless, we did the chain link again and trudged on. It seemed like an eternity before we reached the gymnasium. And it was seriously. Fucking. Cold.

Devlin had to kick open the doors, since the extreme temperatures had frozen the doors shut. We ran inside and slammed the doors shut. Even in the gym, it was cold. Ulrich and Odd led the way to the boys' locker room, which smelled suspiciously like old socks and sweat. Why couldn't it have been the girls' locker room? At least with all the perfume in the air it would have covered up the stink.

There was an old door in the back, which opened up to underground tunnel, complete with lights. At least it was warm.

* * *

><p>We were in the factory now, still in our winter gear, since even the factory wasn't impervious to XANA's evil. Jeremy was starting up the procedure, and the rest of us left to go to the scanners. "I swear to God, if XANA shows himself, I will kill him," I mumbled under my breath as the elevator doors opened on the next floor. "Get in line," Yumi whispered to me as we walked to the scanners.<p>

* * *

><p>I seriously hated XANA. Of all places he could have activated a tower, it just had to be the ice sector. <em>It just had to be<em>.

Jeremy had virtualized our vehicles for us. I hopped on the overboard with Odd, Yumi and Devlin were using the overwing, and Ulrich and Aelita used to overbike. It wasn't hard to find the tower; the line of krabs guarding it kind of tipped us off.

Odd and I immediately laid waste to them, with me jumping off the board and Odd spiraling around near the tower, scouring for Captain Cocky. "Ulrich, I found him!" he called out suddenly to his best friend. Odd pointed to the activated tower; William had to be hiding in it. Aelita immediately spread her angel wings and flew off, leaving Ulrich to deal with XANA's favorite pet.

Yumi used all of her fans to defeat some of the krabs, only getting hit once, a first for her. Aelita used her energy blasts to get some of them. Thanks to her wings, she was able to dodge all of the lasers aimed at her. Since the line of krabs was really long, Odd and I started from the left, killing them before they had more than a chance to react. And just as we're almost done with them, guess who XANA sends to the party?

Megatanks, my favorite challenge.

With a nasty grin, I ran towards the two of them just as they opened their shells. I threw both of my daggers at the eyes, and laughed as they exploded. Aelita flew up next to me as I was using my newfound telekinetic ability to get my weapons.

"Carter, your eyes are turning violet," she whispered, hands flying to her mouth. "What?" I asked, totally confused. Conveniently, the digital sea was beside the tower, so all I had to do was walk over and look at my reflection. Aelita was right; they were turning violet, though it was more around the edges then the entire eye. I jumped back, startled. I needed to calm down before something really bad happened.

And just then William jumped out of the tower, back to the rest of us, since he was facing Ulrich. Ulrich, with his two katanas and his determined expression. I looked at Aelita. "Should I get in the middle of that?" I asked her. She thought for a moment before saying, "Wait for the right moment," she finally said before flying off to the tower. And where the hell was Devlin? I hadn't seen him the entire time.

And then I saw him right behind William. With one hand, he aimed his gun at the back of William's head. Ulrich cocked a single eyebrow to show he understood. Odd and Yumi landed beside me after they were done with the rest of the krabs and together we watched as we waited for the right moment to strike.

Ulrich charged at William, who didn't know Devlin was right behind him. Too late, he heard the shot from behind him, hitting the back of his head. Ulrich stabbed him with both swords, and William screamed when the electric pulses began. And of course Aelita had deactivated the tower in that short span of time, leaving XANA once again the loser. William turned into black smoke and escaped once again, leaving Ulrich stabbing air.

And that was when Jeremy started the return to the past.

* * *

><p>Jeremy was back in the factory with Devlin and Aelita after a long day of school. They had been doing this a lot, working on the transfer program through the Internet and the digital sea. Devlin had a theory that maybe the sea was directly connected to the Internet, creating the design of the ship for that purpose. They were almost done with it, just a few more kinks to work out is all.<p>

Devlin and Aelita were turning on their laptops to do more research when Jeremy cried out: "Someone's messed with the program!"

"What the devil are you talking about?" Devlin asked as he surveyed the damage. Dear God, he was right. The schematics, the designs, _everything_ had been horribly sabotaged.

Aelita was trying to console a nearly catatonic Jeremy. "Don't you remember Jeremy? We saved everything onto flash drives." Jeremy blinked. "That's right. We did." Jeremy took a few deep breaths and calmed down. Devlin was still staring at the screen suspiciously. He only knew one person who could do this, although he didn't have any proof.

Stacey was working with the scientists, Devlin was sure of it.

* * *

><p><em>I would have worked harder on the battle scene, but I have driver's training for the rest of the month. I don't often have the time to really work on the story as much as I liked to.<em>

_If the quality starts to drop, warn me, okay?_


	32. Chapter 30: The Newest Additions

Chapter 30: The Newest Additions

"You seriously finished the program?" I asked in total amazement. Devlin and I were in the band room again. We had just finished a set, and we were both sweating from the effort of it. I was glad we had this half hour or so together. With XANA and scientists, school, friends, and other relationships, the two of us hadn't been particularly close. Sure, I hadn't known we were friends until just recently, but I just wanted a little of that old closeness, you know?

"We haven't finished the entire program," Devlin corrected. "We still have a few kinks to work out, but it should be ready to send us through the Internet soon enough." Devlin furrowed his brow and put away the microphone (we had discovered it earlier in the day. Score!). I raised an eyebrow. "Is something bothering you?"

"Well, yesterday, when we worked on it, Jeremy found the model in the supercomputer to be tampered with."

"…Are you serious?"

"Yes. Everything had been sabotaged greatly, even the design! Luckily we were able to salvage most of the original schematics so we could continue." Devlin looked at me and an understanding passed between us. "It was Stacey," I stated. Devlin nodded grimly. "Do you have any proof?" I asked as I removed myself from the drum set.

"Hate to say it, but no. Stacey covered her tracks very well; there wasn't even footage of her coming into the factory without us around." Devlin shook her head. "There's no way the others would believe us without proper evidence."

"We can still at least tell them to watch her, make sure she's not in league with the scientists." Devlin smiled at me. "That's very comforting," he said, his shoulders sagging with relief. "Come on, we have to be at breakfast soon or Odd will eat our portions." "Oh, the humanity!" I cried sarcastically as we raced out of the band room.

* * *

><p>When the two of us finally arrived at the table, trays in hand, the others had been notified of the rat. The only person eating was Odd, naturally.<p>

"We may have a theory on who sabotaged the ship," Devlin said as we sat down. "You do?" Jeremy asked. The others leaned in, very curious as to what he was about to say. "There's an extremely good chance it's Stacey," he said quietly so no one would overhear him.

Ulrich looked at him strangely. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"I'm not sure if you know this, but Stacey has an attention seeking personality."

"What does that have to do with this?" Jeremy asked.

"Before Carter and I came along, Stacey had the white coats all to herself. She considered them her family, if you can believe it. But when I came along, it sort of shifted more towards me. And when Carter came…" Devlin just shook his head.

"We think Stacey wants her old family back," I continued for him. The others' eyes got really wide. "So you think she sabotaged the schematics?" Aelita whispered. Devlin nodded. "We don't have any proof though," I said, leaning back in my chair.

"But why would she go back? Doesn't she see how evil the white coats are?" Odd asked. Of course he would; he grew up in a caring, loving family. Then again, most of us did.

"Stacey didn't have a real family, so she adopted the scientists as her parents," Devlin explained patiently. "Because of that, she doesn't know good from evil, not really. Stacey will literally do anything if it means getting back in the scientists' good graces. The white coats probably know this and are using it to their advantage."

"The dance…" I realized. Odd looked at me, eyes the size of quarters. This explained so much!

Devlin nodded grimly. "She probably tampered with the ship on their orders."

"But why destroy Lyoko? Don't they need it for research?" Aelita asked. "Apparently not." Devlin shrugged his shoulders. "Waldo Schaeffer helped create the Wastelands. The basic structure should be the same."

I looked around the mess hall for any wandering teachers. "Dude, I don't think you should mention his real name around here." "Why?" He raised an eyebrow. "No one around here has seen Schaeffer in years. If they hear one of the students saying his name, they might start asking unnecessary questions." Devlin nodded in understanding.

"Does this mean we have to tail Stacey?" Ulrich wondered. We all peered over at Stacey, who was at the far end in the mess hall, surrounded by her two lackeys and a bunch of other cheerleaders. She was laughing at some joke Jean made.

Jeremy grimaced. "I'm afraid we have to."

* * *

><p>None of us had any classes with Stacey, so the whole tailing thing was kind of a bust from the get-go. And it wasn't like she talked to any of us, so there was that too. I could believe that Stacey would do something underhanded, like working with the white coats, but from the look of things, they hadn't contacted her in a while. At lunch, I was searching her table and counted how many times she checked her phone: <em>thirty-five times. <em>I told the gang that when lunch ended.

"She must be waiting for more orders," Yumi said disgustedly. She had been thoroughly angry at Stacey when we told her our theory. I could hardly blame her. "That doesn't mean we should ease up on the surveillance," Jeremy pointed out as we all walked out of the mess hall.

* * *

><p>Stacey was just walking out of the mess hall when she got a call from a blocked number. Eyes wide, she excused herself from her friends to answer it. "Hello?" she whispered tentatively once she was out of earshot.<p>

"How are things?" Vivian asked pleasantly, like it was a normal conversation.

Stacey exploded. "Why haven't you called me? I've been waiting here, looking at my phone constantly and wondering what the hell happened to you! Why won't you tell me anything?"

Vivian gave a very audible sigh. "Well, the last mission failed and we had no reason to contact you."

"No reason?" Stacey spluttered. "How-"

"Shut up, Stacey." Vivian didn't have to yell to silence her. "We have a new mission for you. What are the Lyoko warriors doing now?"

Stacey puffed out her chest with pride, though Vivian couldn't see it over the phone. "I sabotaged their attempts to go through the Internet."

A long pause, and then, "You did?" Stacey then continued to gloat on how she had single-handedly destroyed most of the data and had deleted all of the incriminating tapes.

Vivian was overjoyed. "Good job, Stacey!" Stacey basked in her praise. "Just sit tight, sweetie. We'll tell you our next plan of action soon." And then she rudely hung up on Stacey. But that was okay by her. She had finally pleased the scientists! Pretty soon she would be able to leave Kadic and go back home.

_Home. _What a foreign topic. Stacey had never known her parents; she knew _about_ them, but that wasn't enough. The scientists had always been good to her. She couldn't see why Devlin and Carter would try to escape.

But who cared about them? If they didn't want to help save the human race, then the project didn't need them. Stacey was extremely happy over that idea when she walked to her next class.

* * *

><p>It turned out that Stacey wasn't the only person who was overjoyed.<p>

Vivian hadn't needed to tell Stacey what to do; she had been able to act on her own, something she could never have done back on their Lyoko. And she had found a way to temporarily disable the Lyoko children, long enough for the scientists to hide away the next part of the project.

The necessary destruction of Lyoko was just a decoy. Yes, they needed to destroy it, but keeping the children occupied was a side goal. No, Vivian had much bigger plans. Forget saving humanity. Humans had proven time and again that the only thing they could produce was destruction: Hundreds of civilizations disappearing because of some bigot who didn't like them; millions of people dying for a lost cause; stupidity reigning supreme. A normal human couldn't fix the world, and an abnormal human wouldn't understand the problems. That was why they all needed a leader.

Vivian wanted to rule the world. And with her super soldiers under her control, she would have the means to do it.

But there was no time to hunt for the two of them. The donators who funded the project wanted results, and they wanted them now. Luckily, there had been other… volunteers for the project. One had been cast aside for an orphanage due to her blindness. The other had run away from an abusive home when the scientists picked him up.

Vivian was now in the testing room, watching the newest test subjects adapt to the virtual world. Cecily was a very smart girl: she could easily adapt to her surroundings and she could use echolocation as a substitute for sight. Maxwell was extremely smart and nimble, able to steal food and other supplies from stores and people for weeks before the scientists had found him. Neither could possibly hope to be at Carter or Devlin's level, but it was a start.

Cecily and Max were in the forest sector. Cecily had been ecstatic when she found out that she could see in the virtual world. She could see that her hair was brown, and her eyes gray. She wore a blue short-sleeved dress with a cinching waist, blue leggings, and blue Chinese slippers. Her long hair was in a braid, and chains encircled her arms- her choice of weapon. Max was a leopard, wearing the print in a slim suit made for maneuverability. He didn't have feet; they were paws, with long claws. His hands were human, and cat ears were in his dark hair. His twin sabers were strapped to his back. With the leopard print against his dark skin, he looked absolutely feral.

These were the new recruits. They would have to do until the scientists got subjects eleven and twelve again. If subjects thirteen and fourteen proved to be decent enough, they could stay. If not, they would do the same thing the scientists were going to do to Stacey.

Kill them.

* * *

><p>Yumi was in her bedroom. The day had passed uneventfully, with no one seeing Stacey doing anything suspicious. Yumi flopped onto her futon and stared at the ceiling.<p>

What was up with Carter? Whenever the topic of the California students came up, she would suddenly stop talking and recede back into her chair. Had Odd noticed and asked her about it already? Why wouldn't Carter open up and talk to them?

And then there was the whole deal with the project and the supercomputer. The gang had to destroy XANA and all those supercomputers around the world _and _somehow save Franz Hopper. Yumi personally wanted to trash the lab that held Carter and Devlin all those years. Then again, Devlin and Carter might want to do that too. But what would happen when everything was over and done with and they had to shut down the supercomputer? Yumi knew all this Lyoko stuff couldn't last forever. She knew that their friendship was strong enough to survive the loss of the thing that brought them together in the first place. But would the others think the same way?

Yumi had always felt that she had to look out for her younger friends. Aelita was still naïve about the world at large, and Jeremy may be smart, but he didn't know much about social interaction outside their group of friends. Devlin knew how to interact with others, but he was often alone unless Carter or one of his other friends included him. Carter was stubborn and swore way too much, but she was a good person; yet she never really talked about life back in San Diego, with her uncle. Odd was just Odd. And Ulrich…

What about Ulrich? Yumi had made it clear when she wanted to stay friends. Seeing him get jealous over William and her, the love letter, the pool incident- _especially _the pool incident-, and her getting jealous over Sissi of all people had convinced her that staying friends was the right decision.

Yumi rolled over and hugged her pillow. Time had changed things, though. She had first seen Ulrich as a good friend, someone to spar with and hang out with. Despite the friendship, romantic feelings had started budding and had only intensified at this point. Yumi knew Ulrich felt the same way.

Yumi had to be the one to break the friendship. And no romantic feelings could stop the fear of forever destroying it.

* * *

><p><em>I want to see how Carter reacts when faced with other friends. So far all I've done is Ulrich, Aelita, and Odd. Time for a little change in scenery.<em>

_Remember to review, please._


	33. Chapter 31: Testing the Skid

Chapter 31: Testing the Skid

_Bad news everyone: I have to go out of the country for a few weeks in June. And then, when I get back, I have to start my summer English assignment. This story will have to go on hiatus for a bit, because I can't take my laptop with me. That won't be for another two weeks or so, though._

_Fun fact: I based Cecily's Lyoko outfit (from the last chapter) off of Katara's second season outfit in Avatar: The Last Airbender. A shame Cecily can't water bend on either Lyokos._

* * *

><p><strong>About a week later<strong>

"It's done?" Devlin asked breathlessly. Jeremy tapped a few more keys on the supercomputer, and then grinned. "It's done."

Devlin went down on his knees, hands raised to the sky. "PRAISE THE LORD!" he shouted, making Aelita laugh and Jeremy roll his eyes good-naturedly.

"And the docking platform is officially complete and in Carthage," Aelita added triumphantly, tapping the final key on her laptop with a flourish.

Devlin grinned like his face was breaking. "The Skidbladnir is officially ready to test." He finally got off the ground and dusted his knees. Aelita had found a book on Viking Gods in the Hermitage, which included a ship called the Skidbladnir. According to myth, the ship could even sail on land and always reached its destination no matter what. It was certainly better then Odd's suggestion; who wanted to ride a ship called the _SS Meatball_?

"I don't know about the testing," Jeremy started. He _did_ want to see if the Skid worked, but to do so, he would need to people to pilot and control it from within Lyoko. "We'll ask the others what they think," Devlin concluded before Jeremy could continue. Jeremy laid back in his chair, still worried, while Devlin and Aelita shared a secret smile. They already knew what the others would say.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

"Are you kidding? Of course we're testing it out!" I exclaimed. It was lunch now, and everyone was in the mess hall. According to Jeremy and our other two geniuses, they had just finished smoothing out the kinks in the Skidbladnir, our new ship. Of course, they couldn't say for sure it was safe for traveling through the Internet.

"But it could be dangerous. What if it disintegrates when it goes into the Digital Sea? Not to mention, the sea is still a complete mystery to us," Jeremy contemplated as he chewed on the school's sorry excuse for Brussels sprouts.

"That's why we have to test it, Jeremy." Just like that, Yumi had shot a hole through Jeremy's reasoning. Before he could even try to protest, Principal Delmas was making an announcement.

"Children, today is Fire, Safety, and Risk Prevention Day," he started. He was flanked by a smiling Jim and a jovial firefighter. "Due to the safety seminar, all afternoon classes are canceled." That a huge round of applause from the student population. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Odd trying to steal some of Jeremy's food, using the commotion as a cover. Clever boy.

"But that also means that all buildings are off-limits during the exercise…" The Lyoko Warriors tuned him out after that. "Okay, we can test out the Skid in the afternoon. We'll just skip the seminar," Jeremy said finally. Devlin cheered silently, fist-pumping. The others had the same expression, though they weren't as exuberant.

"But it's only to test out the launch procedures," Jeremy hurried before anymore of his friends could get carried away. "Relax, we'll just dive it, test it, and come back," Odd said, trying to comfort Jeremy.

* * *

><p>We were now in the factory's supercomputer room, watching as Jeremy, Aelita, and Devlin tried to explain what we were about to do. "We all know that Lyoko is made up of five sectors within one holo-sphere," Jeremy began, holding up a sheet of paper with a rough sketch of Lyoko. "Imagine the entire thing suspended in a giant virtual bubble, surrounded by a liquid element."<p>

"This so-called 'liquid element' is the information network, or the Internet," Devlin continued.

"And the Digital Sea?" Yumi asked.

"It's just a part of the information network. It's some kind of overflow that's accessible through some sort of flood gate." Aelita pointed to it on the sheet. "XANA goes through this flood gate to attack us on Lyoko and the Skid will use the very same gate to get us out."

"What happens when we're off Lyoko? What happens then?" Ulrich asked, his arms crossed.

"Imagine that you'll be in some enormous network of tunnels, but we don't have enough data to tell you exactly what you'll find," Jeremy explained. "It'll be a surprise."

"That's fabulous," Odd commented with his usual smile. "I love surprises. What are we waiting for?" He started for elevator.

"Wait, I haven't even started explaining how the engines work, or…"

"Don't worry about it. They have us," Devlin said, talking about himself and Aelita. "And you know us, Einstein. We're hands-on people," I said as I joined Odd at the front. Jeremy could nothing as we all clamored into the elevator and went down to the scanner room.

Jeremy waited a few minutes, and then asked, "Are you guys there yet?" Odd, Ulrich, and Devlin all bowed and gestured for the girls to go before them. "Ladies first," Ulrich said as Yumi passed him. "What perfect gentlemen," I said as the three of us climbed into the scanners.

"Okay, I'm starting the procedure," Jeremy said as the doors slammed shut. I closed my eyes to protect them from the glow.

* * *

><p>I landed in Sector Five along with Yumi and Aelita. "All quiet on the home front, J," I told him as he virtualized the boys. As they landed, Jeremy said, "Your elevator is waiting." Aelita led us to the elevator, which quickly led us to the docking port. We could see a giant submarine that looked a bit like a jet, with a center for Aelita and Devlin and pods for the rest of us.<p>

"It's beautiful," Yumi commented on first sight. "Fantastic," Ulrich agreed. It really was amazing to look at. The geniuses did a really good job. "Okay, Jeremy, we're at the Skid-hangar," Odd announced when the elevator came to a stop. We quickly ran off it and followed Aelita.

"Okay, guys, get on a transporter spot." There were white bulbs with black stripes on the floor before us; the transport into the ship. There were two large ones for Aelita and Devlin, with five little ones on the outside. When we stood on our spots, I noticed that there was one extra. Was it for William, for when we got him out of XANA's control, or for Stacey, if she wasn't a traitor? Then again, Stacey didn't go on Lyoko with us; we couldn't call her a part of the team.

"So, who's driving?" Odd asked, snapping me back to reality. "I am, of course," Aelita answered. "Devlin's my co-pilot." Devlin just shrugged. "Whatever. It gives me more leeway in a fight anyway." Aelita rolled her eyes at us girls. "Boys; always wanting to bash someone's head in." Yumi and I grinned at each other.

"You guys ready?" Jeremy asked as he did the procedure. When he was done, he said, "Energize." I saw Aelita disappear in a flash of white light, then Devlin, then Ulrich. And then there was a blinding white light from under me, and I quickly closed my eyes.

When I woke up, I was in one of the pods. I was standing in place, secured by metal. There were flashing lights all around me, and I could see levers, in case there was an attack. "Everyone okay?" I heard Aelita ask through the intercom. "I think I tripped out a little there," I admitted, which earned me a laugh from Devlin. "Aw, you too?" he asked through the intercom. I couldn't see him, but I think he was with Aelita, or at least close by her. They were each others' co-pilots, they had to be together to steer.

"It's like being in a spaceship!" Odd exclaimed happily from his position. "Yeah, but this isn't Galactic Invaders," Ulrich reminded him.

"You're just jealous that I wiped out three times as many aliens as you did last night!"

"Because you cheated, as usual!"

"Okay, if you guys are done chatting, maybe we can get on with the test run," Jeremy interrupted. "I am now releasing support." I could hear the support towers creaking as they let the ship go. And then I heard the ignition turn on and the boosters gaining power. "Lift off!" Aelita cried, and I felt the Skid going up.

"Everything's fine. You guys can now leave Sector Five," Jeremy said as the Skid was going through the opening. "Roger that, J-man," Devlin said as he helped Aelita steer. We were now out in the open and going to the now open tunnel that led out of Carthage. Aelita and Devlin expertly got us out of there.

"It's working, Jeremy!" Aelita said as we left the tunnel. "Great job you guys!" Yumi exclaimed. "I can't believe this is working!" I laughed as the light blinded me. "Okay, the test was a success. Aelita, are you prepared to turn the ship around and get back to dry dock?" Jeremy asked, since technically the test was over.

"What? No way!" Ulrich complained. "I thought you said we were going to test this thing!" Odd said. "Well, we technically did," Devlin said for Jeremy's benefit. "We're talking about a test in the Digital Sea; otherwise, what's the point?" Ulrich explained impatiently.

"They're right, Devlin, Jeremy," Aelita said quietly. "We'll never know what the Skid can do if we just stay in the sky on Lyoko." "You won me over. Let's do this thing!" Devlin cried. "I feel like I'm going to regret this, but prepare to dive," Jeremy huffed as he allowed us permission. "You only get five minutes, though!"

"Yeah!" Odd cheered as Aelita and Devlin prepared to dive. "Shields: activated," Devlin announced. "Sonar: activated," Aelita said.

"Stabilizers: online and checked out."

"Primary access: clear."

"Laser generators: online and ready to blow shit up."

"Devlin!"

"Okay, okay, but they're still working."

"Cockpit to Nav Skids: ready for a dive?" Aelita asked the rest of us. "Do you even have to ask?" I said for all of us. "Anytime, Princess," Odd added.

And so the Skid plummeted into the Digital Sea.

* * *

><p>"Lab calling Skid, do you read me?" Jeremy asked his friends as they entered the Digital Sea. When he heard nothing, he asked again. "Aelita, Devlin, answer me please." He knew this was a bad idea!<p>

"Skid to lab, we are now in the Digital Sea!" Aelita said suddenly, calming Jeremy's fears, at least for the moment.

The Warriors were in a tube with a jagged opening that eventually let them through into the sea.

"Dude, I have to send you a visual! It's freaking beautiful down here!" Devlin quickly sent Jeremy a video box of what he and Aelita were seeing. It looked like a dark sea, all blue and tinged with black with some twinkling lights here and there to light the way. "Wow," Jeremy breathed as he saw for himself.

"Let's rotate," Devlin suddenly said, forcing the ship to go into its jet-fighter form. "Turbo propeller, engaged," Aelita said, pressing a few buttons to let the Skid go of Lyoko's gravity field. The engines roared to life as the ship zoomed through the network.

The Skid swerved out of the way of white columns, which were plentiful down there. Every now and then, the Lyoko Warriors could see holograms of strange symbols, lighting the path with a turquoise color. "This place is amazing!" Odd exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. Because of the ship's condition, the Lyoko Warriors were now sitting, so it was easier to attack and defend in case there was any trouble down in the network. "I can't believe there was a whole world down here!" Carter cried, voicing the opinion of everyone.

"Okay, guys, time to head back home," Jeremy said suddenly, signaling the end of their test run. "Aw, can't we stay here longer?" Odd whined. "I said five minutes!" Jeremy said laughter in his voice. He was glad that the others had talked him into this little excursion, even if it was only a taste of what they would explore. But still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Roger that, Jeremy. I'm turning around right now," Aelita said, forcing the Skid to turn back.

And that was when things started to go wrong.

Red exclamation points covered the screens of the supercomputer, and Jeremy could no longer find the Skid on the radar. "Aelita, I've lost you on the radar. It could just be a transmission problem. Could you or Devlin check it out?"

"No problem, Einstein," Devlin said, checking out a blue screen with red lights flashing. "The navigation system isn't responding. There's a bug in it."

"But if there's no navigation system, then you guys can't find your way back to Lyoko! You'll be stuck there until you use up all of the Skid's power reserves."

"And then what?" Yumi asked, fearing the worst.

"And if you use up all of its virtual power reserves, the Skid will break up, and then you'll be lost in the Digital Sea for good."

"Internal virtualization, like my father," Aelita said softly. "Well, that's just great," Ulrich said sourly over the intercom. "I really hope you got a solution, Einstein, because I didn't bring my bathing suit." As usual, Odd was trying to make light of a terrible situation.

"Well, to do that, I'll need to debug the system, but there are ten million codes to crack, and by the time I'm done, you'll all be in the drink. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Carter asked.

"I've got sub-programs that just might fix and replace the system, but I have to go get them from my room, so I'll have to leave you guys on your own for a while."

"And you didn't think to bring these things with you because…?" Odd started.

"I wasn't the one who insisted on this trial run!" Jeremy snapped as he got out of his seat.

"Calm down, guys!" Devlin interrupted. "Jeremy, just go get your CD-ROM, we'll wait here."

"And be careful not to get caught! Today the buildings are off limits for that safety seminar," Carter reminded him. "I'll be right back, you guys." Jeremy set down the head set. "And whatever you do, don't move from there." "Very funny!" Odd said sarcastically as Jeremy headed for the elevator.

* * *

><p>Despite Jeremy's wishes, we went for a little ride to see what we could find. "If you ask me, I think this place looks like an underground city," Odd remarked. "I think all these buildings are the networks interconnected data bases," Aelita thought out loud.<p>

"I do believe we need more light," Devlin said suddenly as he turned on the Skid's light system. We then slowly moved through the Digital Sea, trying to pass the time.

"Hey, do you guys think we'll ever see the light of day?" Odd asked like a melodramatic person. "Don't worry, Odd, I'm sure Jeremy will come back and fix it in no time," Aelita said as if she was trying to reassure herself.

And that was when the sea turned red. "What's with the change in the light?" Yumi asked. "That's an ominous ambience," Devlin commented tensely. I could feel my shoulders tense in anticipation of an attack.

"Do you guys see that dark, orb thing up there?" Ulrich asked as the Skid zoomed in closer. "I'll shut off the lights for a better view," said Devlin as he did just that. We could now see the orb, which looked suspiciously like the Death Star. "Do you think that's Lyoko?" Yumi asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, its gravity is pulling us towards it," Aelita answered as the Skid slowly went toward the giant orb. Aelita got a closer look at it. "That's not Lyoko." "It's not?" Odd and Ulrich asked at the same time. "No it is not. Hang on: retro brake!" Devlin slammed on the brakes, forcing the ship to instantly stop. Aelita then shifted the ship up and around, away from the Death Star imitation.

As we zoomed away, Yumi said, "There's something else up ahead." "They kind of look like eels," Ulrich commented. "I never met an eel I didn't like," Odd joked. "Heads up, I'm breaking off." Aelita suddenly rotated the ship around in a circle just as the eel monsters attacked with red lasers coming out of their eyes. The two eels then began swimming after us, trying to destroy the ship. Aelita and Devlin did their best to navigate through the columns and away from those things, swerving sharply when they had to turn.

"Who the hell taught you how to pilot, Aelita?" Odd demanded to know.

"You did, Odd."

"Oh."

Another sharp circle came, and everyone screamed "Whoa!" "We're never going to outrun these things!" Yumi cried. "I know, and the Skid is almost out of energy. It's about to disintegrate at any moment!" Aelita sounded desperate. "Come on, Jeremy, don't let us down now," I pleaded, because quite frankly, I was terrified of dying like this.

"Okay, guys, I'm back in the computer lab," rang Jeremy's voice. "Our savior has come at last!" Devlin cried, sounding absurdly happy. I guess Odd had a rival in the comic relief department.

"How are you guys holding up?"

"We're in big trouble, Jeremy!" Aelita exclaimed. "XANA's attacking us with some kind of fish. Please tell me you've started up the debugging program."

"Yes, I have, but you guys are burning way too much power, and if this goes on, you'll disintegrate before the debugging's done. We have to buy some time."

"But how?" Devlin asked him.

"Get those fish off your tail, and then start up the Nav Skids."

"What? Are you crazy?" Odd yelled at Jeremy. "We're going to fight them one-on-one?"

"Exactly, Odd. Just like in Galactic Invaders." Jeremy knew how to win him over. "Well, okay, then," Odd said happily as he prepared to fight.

"Nav Skids, away!" Devlin shouted, releasing us from our holding positions. We zoomed away from the mother ship, leaving Devlin and Aelita to fend for themselves for a while. In the mean time, we were going to fry some fish.

"Hey, these are more maneuverable then the Over Board," Odd noted as he neared to eels. "Gang way!" he cried as he started shooting at the slippery suckers.

"Be very careful. If you guys are hit even once, you'll be lost at sea forever!" Jeremy warned us. "Got it, Einstein," I said as I started shooting. Odd then fired his torpedoes at them, and missed. "Unbelievable! It's up to you, Yumi."

"They're certainly tough customers," she remarked. "You said it," said Odd as he zoomed past his friend.

"Yumi, behind you!" Ulrich warned. Yumi instantly swerved and set her sights on the slippery monsters. In one fell swoop, she fired her torpedoes and got one of them. "Remember guys, the Nav Skids autonomy is limited, so don't pull off any miracles," Jeremy warned as he debugged the program. "Just keep them away from the Skid."

"On it, Jeremy," I said as I prepared to attack the other eel. Ulrich suddenly swerved too close to it, and started leading it towards the surface. "Hey, fish face! Want some bait?" Ulrich taunted it as he swam up. I followed closely, ready to attack. Ulrich, just as he was about to hit the top, swerved to the left, leaving me with deal with the fish. I aimed my torpedoes and fired. The fish exploded.

"I thought Jeremy said no miracles," I scolded Ulrich as we got closer to the Skid. "That was a plan, not a miracle," he corrected me. "The system is debugged. I'm sending you your coordinates and get out of there!" Jeremy ordered, forcing us to swim faster to Aelita and Devlin. We quickly docked, and Aelita piloted us out of there using maximum propulsion.

* * *

><p>"I never would have thought that the information network was a real life ocean!" Jeremy exclaimed. We were back in the computer lab, all of us safe and sound. "To think that my father is somewhere in there," Aelita said sadly, leaning heavily on the super computers' frame. "Yeah, and William too," Yumi added. Ulrich furrowed his brow, but chose to ignore the unintentional jab. "What was that sphere anyway?" he said instead, changing the subject.<p>

"Another virtual Lyoko, like the Wasteland, only XANA created it. It's a replica that he must have created from the data he stole from Aelita," Jeremy thought out loud. "I wonder what he's doing with it." "We'll explore it eventually," I said, using a dismissive tone of voice. "Right, but not tonight." Jeremy jumped out of his seat and stretched his back. "Right now, all I want to do is explore my bed. I'm wiped out."

"Wiped out from what, sitting in your cushy chair?" Odd asked a nasty smile on his face. "How do you think we should feel then?"

"Odd, if I told you what I was doing while you were on the network, you would never believe me."

"Try me."

"I did a little rock-scaling on the dormitory roof."

"Your right, I don't believe you." Odd started laughing at the absurdity of it, and we joined in because it was just so ridiculous. The boy in question just stood there with a secret smile on his face. To be honest, I think he was serious. But then again, who would believe him?

* * *

><p>We were now back at the school. The seminar had just ended, and students were milling about on the campus. Just as I was about to go to the dormitory to catch a quick nap, Yumi grabbed my shoulder, stopping me. "Can I talk to you?" she asked me, all serious. I raised an eyebrow. "Sure." We left the others to their own devices for the moment.<p>

We were sort of in the forest, just far enough so others couldn't hear us. "What's up?" I asked, leaning against a tree. "Why are you always so quiet whenever someone talks about the California students?" Yumi asked, straight to the point.

"I told you, I got a lot of shit from my old classmates. It's not something I like to talk about."

"What did they do to you that was so bad?"

"One time, they spray painted the word 'whore' all over my locker."

Yumi blinked. "What the hell? Please tell my they got caught."

I shook my head. "The ring leader is rich. Her parents donate thousands to my old school every year. She can get away with almost anything there."

Yumi gave a low whistle. "No wonder you don't want to talk about your old life." I stood up straight and stretched. "Yeah, well, I don't want to meet up with it either." "What, are you going to fake sick on the day they come?" Yumi asked. "That's the plan," I said as I walked past her.

"You can't run away forever."

"I can sure as hell try." I left Yumi there and headed to the dormitory. I didn't really care about what she thought of me now. I just wanted to get that day over and done with and get on with my life. Besides, if I stood up to my bullies now, who knows what they'll do to me once I got back to San Diego. Unless I got another scholarship here, I'll be at the mercy of Alex and her cronies.

Facing up to my past wasn't worth it.

* * *

><p><em>Since this is a really important part of the story, I'll follow the episodes as much as I can until the end. In the meantime, I'll try to squeeze in another chapter or two before the story has to go on hiatus.<em>


	34. Chapter 32: Learning the Basics

Chapter 32: Learning the Basics

_It looks like the hiatus is going to have to come early. After this chapter, there won't be a new one for a long time. Sorry about that._

* * *

><p>"Where the hell is Odd?" Ulrich asked. He, Yumi and Aelita were near the rec room, waiting for Odd to come. "We were supposed to play foosball."<p>

"I'm guessing it has something to do with Carter," Yumi joked. "Either that or he's too afraid to show up," Ulrich said. Aelita looked over to the right and saw the real reason. "No, Yumi's right." Odd and Carter were by the bench, talking about something. Carter suddenly threw her head back and laughed.

"Carter, laughing at Odd's jokes?" Ulrich gasped. "Something's definitely up." Carter and Odd walked to where the gang was. "What's going on?" Yumi asked both of them. Before Odd could answer, Carter said, "I was laughing at one of Odd's feeble attempt at a joke." "Oh, very funny! You know you love them." Odd countered, wagging his finger in her face.

"Don't you have a game of foosball to lose?"

* * *

><p>We were now in the rec room, with Ulrich and Odd sweating over foosball and Aelita getting us drinks. Yumi and I were silent on the couches, but she eventually broke the silence. "I don't get it," she said softly.<p>

"What don't you get about Ulrich being better at foosball?"

That didn't get me anything besides an annoyed look. "No, about you not standing up to your old bullies." I sighed; this was going to be painful. "I'm not strong like you, Yumi, at least not mentally. It's not easy for someone like me to just suddenly stand up to Alex and her cronies after all that abuse," I explained as patiently as I could. Yumi could comprehend a lot of things, but I guess something like this just wasn't feasible to her.

Yumi's expression softened, just a little. "I guess it would be hard. But eventually you have to stand up to them." "I know. Just not in December," I said, looking over at Aelita. She was walking back from the soda machine, arms full of carbonated goodness.

"You know you eventually have to tell the rest of us," Yumi said suddenly. I looked at her. "Or you could tell them for me," I said, an evil smile spreading over my face. Before Yumi could reply, Aelita plunked down the soda and we all waited for the guys to finish. I could feel Yumi glaring at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

The guys soon finished, with Ulrich beating Odd at every foosball match. "So, what's the plan for this afternoon?" Ulrich asked me, popping open a soda. "What, did Odd tell you something?" I asked cautiously. "I just said we're going to the movies," Odd defended, giving Ulrich a look. "To see what, _Wheelchair Zombie 4_ or _Snorkeling Combat 2_?" Ulrich asked him. "_Wheelchair Zombie_," I confirmed. What? Zombies were awesome.

"Hey, has anyone seen Jeremy and Devlin?" Aelita suddenly asked, breaking the conversation. "Knowing them, they're fixing up a bunch of problems with the Skid or something," Yumi said.

* * *

><p>"Our only problem is XANA and the scientists," Jeremy said. We were all in his room, with Jeremy in his chair and Aelita and Devlin leaning against the wall. Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd were sitting on his bed, with me on the floor.<p>

"We've already concluded that Stacey is the one feeding any Lyoko information she knows to the scientists," Devlin continued. "We don't know how she's contacting them, but there's an extremely good chance she'll go back to them if they'll let her."

"What do you mean, 'if they'll let her'?" Yumi asked.

"Unlike Carter and me, Stacey was just there to test if the program worked on children. They only kept her around because they needed mindless test subjects. But Stacey has proven time and again that she's too destructive; they figured that they don't need her anymore and will probably just scrap her."

"Kill her, you mean," I said softly. Devlin nodded. Well, that was sobering.

"And there's always the chance that the white coats can send other attacks like the blobs our way," Jeremy continued. "And since Devlin, Aelita, and I can't always be there to send you to Lyoko, I thought it would be a good idea to teach you guys how to work the supercomputer."

"But we do know how it works," Ulrich protested. "At least, we know how to use the virtualization program." "Yes, but only by following our instructions on the phone," Jeremy argued. "If you guys can't get onto Lyoko, XANA and the white coats win hands-down."

I sighed and turned to Odd. "Looks like we'll have to postpone _Wheelchair Zombie 4_." Odd didn't look happy about that.

"But I have a test to study for!" Yumi complained. "Yeah, and I have Pencak Silat practice this afternoon!" Ulrich added. "Fine, you guys can go if you think you have better things to do. I won't force you to come. But don't expect us to gain any ground on XANA or the white coats." Jeremy turned to his teammates, waiting for their answers.

"You're right," Yumi said slowly. "But you know, sometimes it isn't easy being heroes." "Okay," compromised Jeremy, "we'll meet up in the computer lab after lunch and if you pick it up quickly, it'll be over quickly."

"Okay," Odd said kind of sadly as the Lyoko warriors sans the geniuses walked out of Jeremy's room.

* * *

><p>We were now all in the computer lab; well, everyone except Aelita. I think she had an audition to go to. Despite being roommates, she hadn't told me everything except that she was working on something for the Subdigitals. I knew she had entered some sort of contest before I came to Kadic, so I figured this was the final round.<p>

"Okay, we're going to start with theory," Jeremy began. He handed each of us a giant list of basic functions while Devlin sat in the cushy chair. "Wouldn't it be easier if we just went straight to the practical side?" Odd reasoned. "He's got a point there, J-man," Devlin remarked casually, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back in the chair.

"Working the supercomputer isn't like fooling around with a game console," Jeremy snapped. "Before I can trust you with the controls, I want you to know this thing inside out." I looked again at the large pile of notes and groaned; this was going to take a _long_ time. I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

Jeremy smiled. "Relax, guys, the theoretical stuff is actually a lot of fun."

"Right," Ulrich replied sarcastically. "It's going to be a million laughs."

* * *

><p>I was desperately trying to stay awake while Jeremy droned on and on about… theoretical stuff. Odd had already conked out and was snoring silently next to me. Ulrich was staring into space, completely lost, and Yumi just stared at the list, trying to make sense of everything. Devlin looked at us with pity, while Jeremy kept going on, oblivious.<p>

"…Any questions?" Jeremy finally stopped. "How do you expect us to remember all of this?" Ulrich asked, holding up the notes. "If you guys were a little more attentive, you'd been able to understand," Jeremy said sourly. "And how are they supposed to do that? You're not very good at explaining things to people with less intelligence than you," Devlin said for our benefit. He got out of the chair and sat with the rest of us.

"Then how am I supposed to teach this?"

"You could start with practical stuff, like the materialization program on Lyoko," Yumi suggested. "…I guess that makes sense," Jeremy said grudgingly. That was when Odd decided to wake up. "Are we there yet?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

* * *

><p>It was decided that Odd and I would be the guinea pigs. "I never knew you sucked at rock, paper, scissors," Odd snickered as the elevator doors revealed the scanner room.<p>

"I just don't understand how a flimsy sheet of paper can beat a rock!" I protested as I chose the first scanner. Odd stayed outside, waiting for his turn.

"T-transfer Carter," said Ulrich nervous voice. Then he said, in a stronger voice, "Transfer, Carter." The doors closed; so far, so good. "Scanner, Carter. And, uh, virtualization!"

I arrived in the ice sector with all of my limbs attached in the right places. "Good job on your first try, Ulrich," I congratulated him. I could just imagine him sighing with relief. I waited as Yumi did her turn, virtualizing Odd. While he did come all in one piece, he had to be a jerk and scare Yumi.

"AHH! You turned me into a garden gnome!"

"Oh, God!" was Yumi's freaked response. "Relax, I was just kidding," Odd smirked, examining his claws. I just rolled my eyes at him.

And then we heard Jeremy's voice ring through Lyoko. "Activated tower in the mountain sector," he announced. We then heard him gasp. "XANA attack," I stated. A terribly long minute passed, then Odd said, "Hey guys, remember us?"

Ulrich was the one who answered. "We're in a big jam. XANA created some sort of polymorphic specter and just electrocuted Jeremy. Devlin was able to get rid of it, but not without taking a few volts himself. They're both unconscious."

"Good thing they showed us how to work the supercomputer," I said, not really worried. Well, I was about Jeremy, but Devlin had survived worse. And knowing XANA, he only electrocuted them enough to make sure they stayed asleep for a while.

"I tried calling Aelita," said Yumi. "She's not answering. I'll just send her a text."

"Okay then, we'll improvise. Carter and I will head to the mountain sector and see if we can deactivate the tower," Odd suggested. "Don't you think we should try to get you two back to Earth while we try to get in contact with Aelita?" Ulrich asked. I could hear the rustling of papers as Ulrich looked through the notes.

"Do you know how to rematerialize us?" I asked.

"Uh, no."

"Well, at least bring up my Overboard," Odd said. "We can try finding the tower in the air." We could hear the rustling of papers again with the added sounds of Ulrich's frustrations. "Jeremy's notes are all over the place!" he cried.

And then I thought of something. "Why did the specter disappear?"

"I guess it was done here," answered Ulrich. Yumi gasped. "Aelita! The specter must be going after her! I'll go and warn her!" We could hear her running to the elevator. "Wait, you're not going to leave me alone with this, are you?" Ulrich complained. I couldn't hear Yumi's answer, but it probably didn't change things.

After a few minutes, Ulrich materialized the Overbike. "Wrong vehicle!" Odd called out. "Sorry, but that's the only thing I can give you," Ulrich replied. Odd shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's better that nothing." He immediately climbed on with me in the back, and we sped off to find the activated tower, or at least a way tower. A shame Jeremy didn't explain to us how to find those things.

We eventually spotted one, completely unguarded. Odd revved the bike and we shot to it, with me desperately clinging to his waist. "God damn it, Odd!" I bellowed in his ear. It could tell her was smirking at my torment.

Odd slowed down enough so we wouldn't crash through the tower. I closed my eyes when Odd directed the Overbike downwards.

When I opened my eyes, we were officially in the mountain sector. "Awesome!" I cried happily. And that was when Aelita finally took control. "The activated tower is just south from you guys. Yumi will virtualize me and Ulrich to the location."

"What are we waiting for? Let's kick XANA's ass!" I wrapped my arms tightly around Odd's waist as a 'go' signal. "Yeah!" he whooped as he revved the engine once more.

* * *

><p>Aelita and Ulrich were hiding behind a giant boulder when Odd and I arrived. "Well, you sure took your sweet time," Ulrich remarked as we hopped off the Overbike. "No thanks to you," Odd snapped. "Yumi, we're going to need more vehicles," Aelita called out, interrupting the argument. No answer. "Polymorphic specter," I stated grimly.<p>

"We need to deactivate the tower and fast!" Aelita turned to examine the seafood platter before her: three krabs and William. Ulrich took one look at his bike and said to her, "Saddle up, princess." She smiled. Odd and I looked at each other and we both shrugged. Running on Lyoko was never a bad thing, not really.

Ulrich and Aelita rode away with Odd and me trailing behind. As soon as the krabs started shooting, Aelita jumped off the bike and activated her wings. She flew up and away towards the tower. Odd and I went to work on the krabs.

Odd fired first and missed the nearest krab. I threw my dagger and it and it hit the weak spot. I turned to the next one as it exploded. I didn't need to worry though; Odd had gotten the other one by jumping on top of it and getting a clear shot. Aelita, who had been up in the air, shot a pink energy orb at the third krab, killing it.

Ulrich had William all to himself.

As they began to fight, Odd turned to me. "Devirtualize me, quick." "You sure?" I asked, snapping my fingers. The other dagger floated quickly back into my outstretched hand. Odd nodded. "Yumi needs help." He didn't have to say more. I stabbed him, once in the chest and once in the stomach. He was gone within seconds.

I turned back to the fight. Aelita was nearly in the tower, but somehow William was somehow able to send black smoke near her, destroying her life points little by little. It was as if Ulrich was just a nuisance.

That thought made me angry.

I ran towards William, daggers aimed at my sides. When William was distracted, I threw one of them at his arm. He screamed, and Ulrich had the upper hand. He plunged both of his katanas into his stomach, and William devirtualized back to Sector Five. Aelita was already in the tower, and it was turning white.

* * *

><p>By the time the three of us returned, Devlin was already up, a huge grin on his face. Jeremy was still fighting unconsciousness. "Specter…tower….Aelita, did you deactivate the tower?" was the first thing he asked as he slowly got up.<p>

"Me?" she said slyly. "I didn't do anything."

After explaining everything that happened, Jeremy was convinced of our talents. "I congratulate you all on a job well done. I'm glad at least half of you were able to work the materialization program." He looked at Odd and me. We stared back.

"But it just goes to show that XANA really wants to take out Aelita, Devlin, and me so you guys can't get onto Lyoko." Jeremy smiled. "At least I know you'll be able to take over without our help."

"So you trust them, at least a little," Devlin said, once again sitting casually in the supercomputer chair. Jeremy smiled at that, just a little.

"That's good, because the day after tomorrow I'll be gone all day," Aelita announced. "I have my first dress rehearsal. The Subdigitals chose me for their opening act at their next concert!"

"That's great!" I said, clapping her one on the back. Odd glanced at his phone. "Well, would you look at that. We have enough time to see that movie." He wiggled his eyebrows at me. I grinned. "_Wheelchair Zombie_, here we come! Race you!" I ran to the elevator with Odd right behind me.

"You guys are just _so_ mature!" Devlin called out sarcastically. The elevators doors closed on everyone's laughter.

* * *

><p>Code Lyoko: Super Soldier i<em>s officially on hiatus. Story will resume in late summer.<em>


	35. Chapter 33: Kiss and Make Up

Chapter 33: Kiss and Make Up

_I _did_ say late summer._

_I'M BACK, BABY! I would have posted a tad bit sooner, but I was so caught up with writing future chapters and watching Rurouni Kenshin, Xiaolin Showdown, Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Abridged, everything by TeamFourStar, etc._

_But before I get rolling here, a quick shout out to **tploy,** who not only followed and favorited this story, but also put me on his favorite authors list/alert. As a thank you for the loyalty, this chapter's for you!_

* * *

><p>"Is Jim gone?"<p>

"I don't see him… shit, he's around the corner! Hide!"

Odd and I were hiding in the forest, since we were five minutes to curfew and it was going to be hard to sneak out back to the dorms. If Jim found us out now, he'd keep a major eye out on the two of us, which could endanger the team.

It would also be much harder to sneak out and make out with Odd.

What? We're boyfriend and girlfriend. It's to be expected. Our friends knew it, though they didn't ask, and hey, sneaking out was fun. Take now, for instance. This was the third time Odd and I had hid in the forest part of campus, taking pains to make sure no one saw us. Don't worry, we never made it past first base, and for the sake of my scholarship, it would stay that way. At least until we were older.

"…Okay, he's gone past. What the hell was he whistling?" Odd asked me. I shrugged. "Is it safe to come out?" "Yeah, come on." Odd grabbed my hand and lifted me from the bushes. Then we ran to the dorms, while at the same time brushing off leaves and other incriminating evidence.

When we outside my dorm room, I said to Odd, "Remember, no Galactic Battle tonight. We have Phys Ed first thing tomorrow morning." "What would I do without you?" he joked casually. "Stay up all night playing video games," I shot back with a nasty little smile. "Oh, very funny!" he cried as I gently shut the door.

* * *

><p>Of course he didn't take my advice. He was Odd, for Christ's sake.<p>

I was dressed for gym in black sweatpants and a plain cotton black shirt with my hair in a ponytail. I was with Ulrich, Jeremy, Devlin, and Aelita in Ulrich's room. Odd was lying in his bed, bags under his eyes, and a game console not too far from his bed.

"I warned you," I sang to the annoyance of Odd. He glared at me and said, "Will you please just cover for me?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm freaking tired!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but you so owe me for this." Odd didn't respond; he was already snoring softly when we left.

"You're so going to regret this," Ulrich told me as the four of us walked down the hall. "Yeah, I probably will," I admitted. "But hey, what are friends for?"

"Don't you mean what _girlfriends_ are for?" Jeremy corrected, making the others burst out laughing. But instead of starting a scene, I did the mature thing; I chased him down the hall and out of the dorm building, screaming, "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, JEREMY!" I could hear my friends laughing like hyenas as they slowly went down the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Della-Robbia! Don't make me repeat myself!" Jim yelled from the track field. "DELLA-ROBBIA!" Before Jim could pop a blood vessel, I raised my hand. "Odd felt sick so he went to the infirmary," I lied. That should cover Odd, at least for now.<p>

Jim blinked. "Oh! Well, if you're sick, then it's a good idea to go to the infirmary." Jim then continued his roll call for Phys Ed. It was early December now, and yet the weather was surprisingly good for winter. It was almost like the weather in San Diego.

As Jim was harping on a student for saying "Yeah" instead of "Present" during roll call, I could hear Nicholas trying to ask girls out. Something about a breath-taking experience in the moonlight tonight. His words, not mine.

And now Jim was demonstrating how to do the high jump, which was today's exercise. I was very thankful when he decided not to go into great length about how it could take us to great heights.

But all that changed when Jim got hurt during the exercise.

He had been running towards the high jump and everything seemed to be going well until he jumped and landed on his back. He first landed on the mat, but then he flew up and landed on the ground _next_ to the mat, throwing out his back.

That meant a trip to the infirmary.

I was so royally screwed.

* * *

><p>"Disappointing, disappointing, that's the word to describe this mess!" Principal Delmas yelled at us in his office. Odd and I were both looking down, arms crossed, glaring at the ground as a sign of repentance.<p>

"I am very disappointed in the both of you!" the headmaster was saying. We looked up then; here comes the punishment.

"Considering that this is Miss Wilder's first infraction, I will only give her two hours of detention. As for you, Mr. Della Robbia, four hours. You are dismissed." We both left before Odd could attempt to argue his way out of this mess.

As the two of us were walking out of that devil's lair, Odd started griping. "Thanks for the lame excuse, Carter!"

"Hey, how was I supposed Jim was going to pull his back out and go to the infirmary?"

"If you'd taken the time to think of a better excuse, I wouldn't have gotten four hours of detention!"

"Well, what about me?" I yelled at him. "Just two hours of detention could ruin my scholarship! And if you were just a little less selfish you'd realize that I got detention too! And for what? Because you needed your sleep, you-you- lazy loser!" I was gasping after my rant. A part of me was ready to apologize to Odd about all of that before a bigger part of me reminded me that it was mostly Odd's fault, and there was no way he was going to apologize, at least not easily.

So I stayed angry.

* * *

><p>It was lunch now, and Odd and I refused to sit by each other. It was safe to say the tension was thick.<p>

"Looks like we have the next cold war on our hands," Yumi joked. "This is more of a third world war," Devlin corrected. Yumi looked at him. "Unlike the real cold war, these two _will_ explode at each other," he explained.

"Damn right we will," I grumbled.

"Look," Jeremy said, "why don't you two kiss and make up? We have more important things to worry about." "Like exploring the network with the Skid some more?" Ulrich whispered hopefully. "Right, and to check out that sphere you guys saw on your first trip," Jeremy said quietly. "Great. When do we go?" Yumi asked.

"The longer we wait, the stronger XANA gets," Devlin replied. "Tonight would be best."

"That is, if our two warring lovebirds are ready to bury the hatchet," Aelita said humorously.

"As long as I don't have to talk to _her_." Odd pointed at me.

"Fine by me. Who'd want to talk to a lazy selfish brat anyway?" I said meanly.

"I guess that's progress. Sort of," Yumi interjected sheepishly.

* * *

><p>Stacey was just leaving the cafeteria when she got the message: <em>Your going back home. <em>There was nothing else to explain what was going on. That didn't mean Stacey wasn't ecstatic.

She ran skipping to her room, ready to order suitcases for all her stuff. It didn't matter to her that that meant the scientists no longer needed her here as a spy. All Stacey cared about was going _home_.

* * *

><p>Vivian knew XANA's plan was to continue destroying Lyoko, but Stacey couldn't help. She was no longer considered a part of the Lyoko Warriors, or whatever they called themselves. What little information the subject had was useless. The scientists no longer cared about the other Lyoko. Sure, it could be useful in case something happened to the original, but the scientists now had enough information about it to create numerous replicas.<p>

The new subjects couldn't destroy XANA. Only the old ones and the Lyoko warriors could do it. It would undoubtedly take a while, but they could do it. In the meantime, Vivian could think of ways to get Carter and Devlin back. In fact, she was already planning on sending adults onto the virtual world. It wasn't impossible; it was just that kids were much better at adapting to the environment.

But first Vivian had to get rid of useless Stacey.

* * *

><p>It was nighttime now, and the Lyoko warriors were all running towards the factory. Well, except Odd. He was just strolling into the factory like it was no big deal.<p>

"Will you hurry up?" I snapped at him. I was still pretty steamed about the whole detention thing, though I did kind of regret calling Odd a selfish lazy loser, even though it was kind of true. I wasn't regretting it enough to call off the fight, though.

When we were finally getting into the scanners, Odd pushed past me and hurled himself into the scanner nearest me. "Aren't you overdoing it just a little, Odd?" Yumi asked exasperatedly.

"It's obvious who's side your on!" Yumi just sighed.

"I wouldn't make Carter too angry if I were you, Odd," Devlin warned. "She can be unbelievably scary when she wants to be." Odd just shrugged.

"Incredible," Ulrich remarked. "You'd think they were back in kindergarten." Luckily for Ulrich, the scanner doors closed before I could snap at him too.

Not even five minutes later, Aelita, Devlin, and I were in Sector Five. I looked at Odd and gave him the finger. He just shook his head at the virtual sky.

"I really think you need to cut down on the swearing," Aelita told me in private.

"But I didn't say anything."

"You know what I mean."

We ran to the elevator and quickly jumped on it. After the ride, we hurried to the loading dock and onto our transporter spots, where we then energized. Once we were all safely inside the Skid, we quickly got out of the dock, which is an experience that takes time to get used to.

Aelita skillfully piloted us to a portal, which quickly led us to the sphere.

"Okay, J-man, we're at the sphere," Devlin said as we approached the colossal monster.

"Check the south pole for an entry portal, like on Lyoko," Jeremy ordered from his cushy chair in the lab.

"I've got a visual on it," Aelita said. Unfortunately, it was locked. Fortunately, Jeremy was able to discover the access code to get us inside the sphere.

* * *

><p>For a minute, I thought we had re-entered Lyoko.<p>

"I don't believe it!" Jeremy explained. "You guys are on an exact copy of Lyoko! Only this has one sector, the forest sector."

"XANA created another Lyoko on the network?" Devlin asked rhetorically.

"But what's the point?" Aelita asked Jeremy. "I have no idea," he admitted. "But you can bet it's not to save humanity. And knowing our buddy XANA, he's made plenty of copies just like this one."

"So what, do we just check it out?" Devlin asked.

"You bet!" Jeremy said. "I want as much data as possible on this new virtual world."

"All right. Energize!" I was then blanketed by white light. When I opened my eyes, I was in the forest.

"Oh, we're in another forest territory? I guess we're not out of the woods yet!" Odd's lame jokes were really starting to get on my nerves.

"If we don't want him freaking out and crying, I guess someone should laugh at his horrible jokes," I said rather meanly. The others looked at each other.

Jeremy must have sensed the discomfort, because he said, "I've got an idea. We'll work in groups of two. Two groups will go out exploring while the third stays here to protect the Skid."

Odd raised a finger. "I'll work with anyone besides Carter!" "For once he has a decent idea, unlike this morning," I snapped at him.

"Okay, that's it, I'm done!" Devlin suddenly cried. "I am sick and tired of you two fighting! You two will stay here and work out your goddamn differences while the rest of us take a vacation from the two of you!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Here are the vehicles," Jeremy interjected, materializing the over bike and wing. Aelita got on the overbike with Ulrich while Devlin joined Yumi on the Overwing. They couldn't have left fast enough.

* * *

><p>Odd were sitting far away from each other, occasionally peeking over our shoulders at one another. I was sick of the fighting at this point and was about to apologize when Odd said, "You could have picked a different excuse, you know."<p>

"You could have listened to me and not stayed up all night playing Galactic Battle," I countered.

"Odd, megatank at three o'clock!" Jeremy cried out suddenly, making us both look to our right. Odd got up in time to dodge the ridiculously huge laser. Unfortunately, it hit the Skid.

"My favorite challenge," I said as I got out my daggers. I then suicide charged to the tank just as it was about to strike again. I dodged the next attack and, before it could close up its weakness, threw a dagger into the eye. It exploded in two seconds.

"Nice one, Carter!" I could hear Odd cheering my name. That made me smile. The second megatank wiped it off, though.

Odd took care of this one. He did the same thing I did, only with a laser arrow. Megatanks were not known for their superior intellect.

"I'm putting in some extra power for the Skid's shield from the supercomputer," Jeremy said. "It's risky, but we don't have a choice."

"Cool. Now we'll be able to see the light of day again." I smirked at Odd. "Oh, ha ha," he said sarcastically.

And then: "Nicholas and Herve are in the factory. They're about to discover the supercomputer and it doesn't have enough power for a return to the past!" Jeremy was really freaking out over there.

"You can't let those nerds get near the supercomputer!" Odd yelled at him. Jeremy went silent; he must have gone to get rid of the two snoops.

And of course Captain Cocky just had to make an appearance.

"Uh-oh," Odd said. "The Skid's done for if handsome gets his hands on it." He gestured to the furious William.

William then tried to devirtualize me with his over sized sword, but Odd shot a laser arrow at his neck. William then went after Odd. I went after William when his back was turned.

I stabbed him once in the back and heard him scream. Odd shot him again in the neck. William went after me first, slicing at both my wrists so I'd have to drop my weapons. I did, and he went after Odd again.

Odd was doing a pretty good job of dodging Zweihander before William sent him over the edge. He devirtualized his weapon and was about to stomp on Odd's hand when I stabbed him in the back for the second time. I had retrieved my daggers when no one was paying attention.

That didn't stop Odd from falling, though. But before he could fall into the Digital Sea, I threw my other dagger at him, devirtualizing him to safety. I used telekinesis to get both my weapons back. William had virtualized Zweihander into his hand by then. It was now me and him.

That is, until reinforcements came. A fan came at William, distracting him. Aelita had flown off the overbike and threw an energy blast at William while Devlin was covering her. Ulrich had dismounted and had nearly successfully crashed the overbike into William had he not dodged just in time. The overbike fell into the Digital Sea.

Ulrich then used his super speed and stood next to me, sabers out. "Everyone knows speeding is really dangerous," he joked. And then we all began to corner him. Not even possessed William could take on so many people. So instead, he opted to turn into smoke and disappear.

That's when Jeremy cut in. "Ulrich, we got an emergency here. I need you to devirtualized Carter."

"Uh, why?"

"Just do it!" Ulrich looked at me and I shrugged. He said, "I'll devirtualized you on three. One… two…" He then slashed me with both of his sabers. I had just enough time to say, "Holy crap, that smarts!" before getting devirtualized.

When the scanners opened again, I was staring at the smiling face of Odd. "Hello!" he announced. I had to smile at him. I was still smiling a little when he told me his plan. "I guess it was about time we made it public," I admitted. "But I still don't want to do _that_ in public."

"Fine by me," Odd said with a leer.

* * *

><p>When Nicholas and Herve found us, Odd and I were tangled together on the elevator floor, obviously making out.<p>

In retrospect, we could have been a little less intense.

We could hear Herve pretend to retch and Nicholas's confused questions as they walked away, their suspicions supposedly answered. I couldn't resist calling out, "Did you guys enjoy the show?" after them.

Odd was laughing hysterically, and it was contagious. After we had stopped our immature giggling, we high-fived each other. We then rode the elevator to the supercomputer room to wait for the others.

When the others found us, Jeremy was brooding in his chair, and Odd and I were standing very close to each other, arms crossed, and with identical grins plastered on our faces.

Yumi asked, "What's wrong, Jeremy?"

"I'm worried about this Lyoko copy," he admitted softly. "If there's one out there, it means there's another supercomputer infected with XANA somewhere else on Earth. To destroy this new one, I'm going to have to figure out some sort of way to materialize you guys into the real world from the copy."

"You guys already did that once, though," Devlin pointed out.

"We had our friend from the project helping us," Jeremy countered. "It was only for a limited amount of time and I could only send you to San Diego and to our Lyoko. I can still use the basic schematics, but it's going to take a while for me to send you guys anywhere else."

"Yeah, well, we can figure that out when the time comes," Ulrich said with a casual smile. He turned to the Odd and me. "And you two seem awfully chummy."

"We just got over our differences is all," I said.

* * *

><p><em>I just noticed the amount of line breaks in this chapter. Sorry if it bothered you.<em>

_So no apologies were said out loud. That's just how Odd and Carter roll, I guess._

_If your wondering about the scene with Carter and her old school enemies, I'm still working on it. It won't happen for a while still._


	36. Chapter 34: I'd Rather Not

Chapter 34: I'd Rather Not

Herve and Nicholas must have told everyone that Odd and I were officially an item now, because Milly and Tamiya were chasing Odd and me with their camera.

"How does it feel to be the hot couple on campus?" Milly thrust the mike in Odd's face. "Well-" he began before I slapped my hand over his mouth. "No comment," I huffed as I dragged the poor boy away. I could hear the two reporters sniggering behind us.

"Did you have to drag me?" Odd complained when we were finally a safe distance away. He gripped his arm and shot me a look. "Dude, I don't want our relationship to be the school's next soap opera or something," I said, hands on my hips.

"But don't you want to clear up any rumors about us?" He cocked his head and looked at me. I sighed; he had a point there. But still, getting interviewed about our dates? It wasn't like we were some Hollywood "It" couple or anything.

Before I could answer though, my cell phone rang. It was Jeremy. "What up?" I asked him.

"We're going to train for XANA attacks," he told me without a simple hello to start out with. "Grab your gym clothes and meet me at our usual bench in fifteen minutes." And then he hung up.

"How rude," I mumbled as I put away my phone. "Something wrong?" Odd asked me, concern all over his face. I grimaced and said, "Grab Kiwi and some clean sweats."

"What?"

* * *

><p>"He's trying to kill us!" Aelita complained as we ran through the forest outside of Kadic. It was over an hour later, and the gang minus Jeremy was huffing and puffing after a two-mile run. I was sweaty and my face was tomato red. I had never been good at running, but Odd was even worse. Just when we finally caught up with Jeremy at the check point, he literally collapsed in front of the tyrant.<p>

"You guys are pathetic!" Jeremy cried harshly when we all fell down on the ground around him. "You're way too slow! What a bunch of snails!" He turned to Odd. "Except you, Odd; snails run faster than you."

Odd shot up from the ground. "Since when does the least athletic of us all think he's better than I am?" he yelled as Kiwi the dog circled nervously around the two of them.

"That's true," Ulrich said, getting up. The rest of us followed suit. "You are getting _way_ too carried away, J-man," Devlin said. We all glared at him like he was Hitler. Even sweet, lovable Kiwi growled at him.

"Don't blame me," Jeremy said casually, pointing to his stopwatch. "This thing doesn't lie."

* * *

><p>We were back on school campus, back in normal clothes. Kiwi was safe in Odd's room, away from Jim. Jeremy was the only one standing up while the rest of us sat on benches. Jeremy was looking way too much like Jim. "That was awful running out there!" he was telling us. "How do you guys expect to beat XANA if you guys don't speed it up?"<p>

Odd shrugged his shoulders. "Easy for you to say, Einstein. All you ever do is sit in your cushy chair while the rest of us do all the work."

"And all you do is time us," Devlin pointed out. "Anyone can do that."

Jeremy ignored that. "All I know is that if you guys don't get into shape, XANA and the scientists get stronger and eventually one of them will win!" I no longer cringed inwardly at the mention of the white coats. I guess I was used to them.

"But if you want another trainer, be my guest." I looked at Jeremy, who was being very smug all of a sudden.

"Maybe there is another trainer," Yumi said. "Maybe a better way at getting in shape."

"I get it!" Jeremy cried. "You're all just badly trained." Not all of us, I thought glumly. Though I was thankful Jeremy was ignoring Devlin's and mine past life.

"If you can't keep up, it's my fault." Jeremy continued, glaring at us.

"Well, yeah," we all said with a smile.

Jeremy pouted. "Okay, I may not be the best trainer in the world, but it's not like you guys actually listen to me."

"True," I said with a shrug. "I think we need to find someone else to train us, like a specialist."

"And where will you find such a specialist?" Jeremy asked me.

Aelita smiled at me.

* * *

><p>It had to be Jim.<p>

I guess anyone was better than Jeremy.

Apparently, Jim had once been a Special Forces trainer, making him the perfect candidate to train the Lyoko Warriors. Of course, he would rather not talk about his time with the Special Forces, not that we were really interested.

We were at the Red Cross trail in our gym gear for the second time today, waiting for whatever Jim had in store for us. Even Jeremy was participating, even though he tried to talk himself out of it.

We were only two minutes late for the commando camp, but Jim yelled at us, calling us, "a lazy bunch of slugs" among other things.

It was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

><p>After runs and push-ups, I was ready to collapse. How I survived the training Vivian and the scientists put me through, I have no idea. Then again, it was mostly on Lyoko. No wonder I couldn't do this!<p>

And then he made us do these weird squats, which I found extremely embarrassing. But unlike Jeremy, I was actually able to do them. The rest of us stopped what we were doing and watched Jim lay into Jeremy, telling him, "Once I'm through with you, you will be a man!"

He turned to the rest of us. "Now, we live and die together as a team! You got that?"

"Yes," we mumbled.

"I said 'YOU GOT THAT'?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

And here I thought I left the military background back in San Diego.

After a three-mile run and surviving a boot camp that belonged back at my uncle's military school, we finally took a break.

Yumi had someone talked our PE teacher into talking about his past life, which he would normally rather not talk about.

"I was once a licensed scuba diver-" Yeah, right.

"That was why the Marines recruited me to be in their Special Forces. NASA heard of me, and since I was now a Special Forces diver, they had me test out there spacesuits underwater." I found this to be extremely doubtful. What was the point of testing spacesuits _underwater_?

"So after receiving a medal from the President, I was then appointed to the Secret Service." At this point, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

And then we heard the beeping from Jeremy's laptop. We looked at each other. How where we going to get rid of Jim?

Jim, oblivious to us, just told us to run with him.

* * *

><p>About five minutes into the run, we stumbled upon a wild boar in the woods. For some reason, it charged us, and Jim kicked it aside. The boar then charged at him again, but Jim was actually able to hold it off.<p>

Huh. So he _did_ have Special Forces training.

And then we noticed the XANA eye in the pig's eye.

Crap.

"Be careful, Jim!" Ulrich was telling him. "That's not a normal animal!" "It's no longer a normal boar!" Devlin said for emphasis.

"It's just an overgrown pig, that's all," Jim tried to reassure us. He was completely oblivious to the danger he was in.

Of course, Jeremy decided to catch up to us by then, creating a large ruckus as he came into the pig's line of sight.

The boar charged, but Jim intercepted it, getting hit himself and landing ten feet away in the bushes. Jeremy went over to help him as the pig charged again. Ulrich grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it, temporarily distracting it from the two of them. It set its sights on Ulrich instead. He high tailed it out of here, creating a great diversion for us.

"Go to Lyoko and deactivate the tower!" Jeremy ordered us. "I'll stay here with Jim." Though we were worried, we knew Jeremy had a point. We had Aelita and Devlin with us, so the devirtualization process should be okay.

Besides, Jeremy was a smart kid. He could hide from the boar and keep Jim safe no problem.

* * *

><p>With Jim's training, we were able to get to the factory in record time without the sewers. Who knew?<p>

Devlin was working the virtualization process when he swore. "XANA just sent William and some monsters to the core chamber! Get to the scanners, quickly!"

"What do we do about the tower?" Yumi asked. "I can always go with Aelita, but someone has to mind the supercomputer." Devlin tapped his temple like he was trying to think.

"Need some backup?" said a voice from the elevator. It was Ulrich, coming to Princess Aelita's rescue. Yumi ran up to him, obviously relieved. "I was able to shake off the boar, but we have to hurry. Jeremy and Jim might be in serious danger." Ulrich looked seriously grim.

"To the scanners!" Odd cried, running into the elevator.

* * *

><p>I was with Yumi and Odd in the blue chamber again in Carthage. Aelita and Ulrich were at the tower, while Devlin was in the real world. All Yumi, Odd, and I had to do was get to the core as fast as possible and stop William from destroying Lyoko. Easy enough.<p>

We went to the central dome where our vehicles were parked. I jumped onto Odd's overboard with him in tow. "But I'm usually the one driving this thing!" he whined, hugging my waist.

"My turn now," I said with an evil little grin. Yumi just rolled her eyes as we followed her on her overwing.

"You know, I actually prefer this machine than Jim's ropes," I thought out loud as we rode to the core of Lyoko.

"I know, right?" Yumi agreed. We both skillfully maneuvered our rides through the central dome and Yumi hit the button that gave us access to the core. As Odd jumped off the overboard, he said, "Not bad for your first time. Who taught you how to work the overboard?"

"Devlin and Aelita did actually." I frowned. "Though Aelita did show me some dangerous moves." I stared pointedly at Odd. He just ran up the blocky stairs.

When we arrived, the scene wasn't too bad. The first shield hadn't given out yet, so that was a plus.

"I'll take William," I said to the others. "You guys deal with the mantas." They both nodded grimly as I ran to meet the possessed boy.

William was on his own personal manta, so I threw both my daggers at it and watched it explode. William fell but unfortunately landed safely on the stairs. He glared at me as I used telekinesis to get my weapons in hand.

I gave William an arrogant smirk. "Miss me, William?" He charged at me. I took that as a yes.

"Are you really interested in me?" I taunted him as our blades clashed. Man, was I feeling mean this week. "I thought you had a thing for Yumi," I said. I suddenly gave a mock gasp. "Don't tell me you're cheating on her with me!"

William screamed with rage as he tried to hit me again. I dodged and aimed for his stomach. He deflected my attack and I stomped on his foot. If he wasn't trying to kill me, I would have found him hopping on one foot and holding the other really funny.

He then came at me again with his big ass sword, and I used my silver shield (haven't used that in a while) to deflect the attack. After only one attack, it couldn't take much more.

And then I saw Odd hanging by his claws on the back of a manta. He was heading towards the remaining mantas. If the idea wasn't so dangerous, I would have called it genius.

Yumi was running towards me, obviously ready to help. I then heard Odd get devirtualized after getting rid of the last manta. It was now two to one.

I charged this time, and an epic battle ensued with me scurrying about, trying to hit William randomly in his weak spots. Unfortunately, he only had to slash me once with Zweihander to devirtualize me.

That left Yumi with William. She could handle him until Aelita devirtualized the tower.

* * *

><p>The next day, Jim was walking around with a cane thanks to his leg.<p>

"So you're letting him remember everything?" Devlin asked Jeremy as we sat at our usual bench.

"Yeah; to Jim, yesterday's wild boar was just a crazy animal, but a completely normal one. And that's the best insurance there is." I decided to believe Jeremy on this one.

Jim had walked up to us by then. "Glad to see you on two feet again," Aelita said nicely.

"More like three feet," Jim joked. "All I have is a sprain and a nasty bruise. I'll be back to normal in two weeks' time."

"That's a shame," Yumi said. "Just one day of boot camp and two weeks of recovery." "You guys showed great spirit at the commando level, even though you were obviously unprepared for it," Jim admitted. "After my leg's all healed, I'm reinstating it. What do you say?"

"I'm busy until the end of the year," Odd said hastily. "I am too," I added. "I have to tutor people," Devlin lied swiftly. "It's too much of a horror- err, honor, to do it," Ulrich said.

"I'll do it, Jim," Jeremy said proudly, making us all stare at him. "I owe you one."

"Excellent, Belpois," Jim said happily. "I knew I could count on you." Jim left and waved good-bye while we all stared at the young genius.

Not for the first time, I wondered what secrets Jeremy was hiding frorm us.


	37. Chapter 35: XANA Makes a Choice

Chapter 35: XANA Makes a Choice

_For the record, there will be no snow present when I finally get around to Christmas. The creators of the show didn't show the Christmas episode with snow or the gang in their winter gear, so I'll stay true to that. _

* * *

><p>It was about a week later after the wild boar incident. Jim still had a cast on his leg, though that didn't stop him from terrorizing the students in his PE classes. I was flipping through the Kadic newspaper on the bench in the campus when I spied the article Milly and Tamiya did about me and Odd.<p>

Yes, I went back to them and gave them an interview. Milly had tried to get a lot out of Odd about our supposed love life- like if we were doing _it_ or not- but a warning shot from me and Tamiya stopped her. Besides, it wasn't like Odd and I were doing anything besides making out. Stupid precocious kid.

I looked up to see a few kids looking and whispering about me. They thought they were being so inconspicuous about it, but they were, like, five feet away from where I was sitting. I had to hold in a snort when they acted surprised when I noticed them. They went away as soon as I saw Aelita running towards me.

"I can't believe you actually went through with this!" she exclaimed when she caught up to me. "Milly and Tamiya are pretty persistent," I said, "and besides, I wanted to clear up any rumors about Odd and me."

Aelita nodded. "By the way, where is everyone?" I asked, genuinely curious. Aelita blinked, then face-palmed. "I completely forgot! Jeremy's trying to upload new programs to the Skid. I was supposed to get you, but I forgot…" she held up the newspaper.

"We should probably get to the factory," I concluded as I stood up. It looked like we were going to miss another perfectly good Saturday.

* * *

><p>"I'm uploading the program over to you," Jeremy was saying to Aelita and Devlin in the Skid. "Now the Skid's sonar should differentiate bio signals from the rest of the computer code in the Digital Sea." "Awesome," Devlin said happily as he helped steer us through the water.<p>

"Okay, Jeremy, program received and activated," Aelita said. "So, you think that with this new program we'll find where XANA's keeping the spiritual essence of William prisoner?" Odd asked. "Wow. That sentence actually sounded smart," I said. "Did you finally decide to take your schoolwork seriously?"

"I do occasionally look in my textbooks when I'm bored and have nothing else to do," Odd confessed. "Just ask Ulrich." "Hey, Ulrich-" I began, to only be cut off from the boy himself. "Yes, it's true, though I've rarely seen it," Ulrich second.

"But to answer Odd's earlier question," Devlin interrupted, "we should hope so. Right now, it's our best chance to bring him back into the real world." "Oh, the return of our tall, handsome hero," Odd joked. "I'm sure Ulrich will be thrilled to have his old rival back."

"Odd," Ulrich scolded. "Sometimes, you really are a bit too much."

"And from the sound of things, I might have some competition when William gets back," I joked at Odd's expense. "Ooh, she got you!" Devlin jeered immaturely. "Both of you need to grow up!" Aelita scolded us, but I think she was holding back a smile too.

"But only 'sometimes' being too much?" Odd continued, choosing to ignore my jibe (smart boy). "Oh no, I guess I must be slipping!"

"Though to be honest, I wouldn't mind being in Yumi's shoes for today," Jeremy suddenly said. "Are you kidding? Helping run the outdoor science lab with fifth graders isn't exactly her idea of fun," Ulrich pointed out. "Aw, come on! I bet she's loving it!" Jeremy said wistfully.

"She's not an Einstein like you, remember?" Devlin mumbled under his breath.

As we passed the blue columns in the Digital Sea, Aelita said, "The detection specter is honing in. The sonar is picking up a faint trace of digital DNA in the area. It might be William, or even…"

"Don't get your hopes up," Devlin said grimly. "It'll only be worse for you if it isn't who you're looking for."

"Thank you, Mr. Positive," Ulrich joked sarcastically. "Let's check it out!" With that said, Aelita began steering towards the DNA trace without any objections from Devlin.

"Why now?" Jeremy yelled out, startling us. "Why can't we have an exploratory mission in peace for once?"

"Activated tower?" I asked.

"Activated tower," Jeremy confirmed. "I wonder what XANA has in store for us this time."

"We'll have to turn around," Devlin said, beginning the procedure. Aelita did the rest, and soon we left behind the DNA trace.

After a few minutes of silence, Jeremy broke it. "I just figured out what XANA's planning. XANA used a satellite to change the course of the comet passing by Earth today. It's going to create a meteor shower that will pour down on Earth!"

"Please tell me you're joking. Please tell me he's joking!" Devlin pleaded with all of us. Not like that we could reassure him.

"According to my calculations, most of the meteorite should burn up in the Earth's atmosphere," Jeremy said. "On the other hand, there's a huge chunk coming behind it that will crash directly into- oh crap- into the factory!"

I remembered something just then. A meteor shower, a large chunk of asteroid crashing into the ground… a Wasteland simulation! That was why Devlin was freaking out! I couldn't blame him at all; that one was pretty awful to experience.

"Jeremy, you have to get out of the computer lab _right now_!" Aelita ordered him. "I can't do that," Jeremy said. "If the computer lab gets destroyed, you'll be stuck in the Digital Sea and at XANA's mercy. We have to deactivate the tower!"

"Relax, Jeremy," Odd said reassuringly. "We'll get to it in no time."

"Yeah, but it's not going to stop the meteorite from falling!" Ulrich pointed out, sounding kind of freaked.

"That's true," Jeremy said. "And that's why I'm staying here at the control center to launch a return to the past before we're hit by it." "All right," Devlin said. "Full speed ahead!" I could feel the Skid quicken its pace to something that felt like warp speed.

"There's a hub near your location," Jeremy said quickly before we could pass it. "Hub located," Aelita notified, and we swerved towards it. But then the sea turned a blood red, and a force field blocked our path.

"What is that?" I asked, though it was probably obvious. "A firewall. No doubt a present from XANA," Aelita told me. "Don't worry; I'll get us out of it." A few seconds later, she said, "It's not working. Jeremy, we have a problem."

"I can see that," Jeremy said. "I'm already on it."

"The firewalls energy is based on a fairly simple algorithm," Devlin noted. "All we have to do is crack it and we'll be able to slip through a breach in security." "Good idea," Jeremy congratulated. "Hey, I think I understand what XANA's really up to."

"Well then, Einstein, you finally realized that it wants to destroy the supercomputer and keep us from pulling the virtual carpet out from under him?" Odd asked. "Well, obviously," Jeremy said. "But this time he picked the perfect moment."

"Of course!" Aelita cottoned on. "By destroying the supercomputer, XANA will not only destroy Lyoko, but our only way back into the real world."

"And he wants to trap us here to get a hold of Aelita," Devlin stated, fully understanding what Jeremy was getting at. "You're the one XANA has wanted to capture ever since we recreated Lyoko," Jeremy told her. "It's called 'killing two birds with one stone.'" As someone who wasn't here during that time, I wisely stayed quiet. If it was really important, I would find out more about it.

"I found the weak link in the algorithm!" Devlin whooped after a few minutes. "It's as plain as day! The system overcompensates pressure, but it takes three milliseconds to reverse its polarity."

"Of course! By synchronizing the initial pressure, you can neutralize the signal-sorter distortion," Jeremy tried explaining for the rest of us. "Translation?" Odd begged.

"Rubber band system," Aelita shortened the explanation. "Hang on!" We suddenly reversed before shooting forward at an impossibly fast rate. The Skid rattled and shook, and I was starting to feel queasy. When I opened my eyes, the sea had returned to its natural blue color, and we were on our way back to Lyoko.

* * *

><p>On our way in, Jeremy found a way for us to get some extra time to defeat XANA. If he was able to control the satellite that would blast the meteorite into a billion pieces, even for a minute, he could delay the attack. Yumi was still at school with her brother Hiroki, so she would connect to the satellite from the science wing's roof with Jeremy's laptop. It was a risky plan, but it was worth a shot.<p>

We were in the desert sector, and Aelita was steering us towards the activated tower. It was nice to travel in style like this.

The trip was short, and I was able to see the tower from my seat. "Teleport," Aelita commanded, and in a second, I was surrounded by white light. When I opened my eyes, I was on solid ground, outside the Skid. The others materialized right next to me.

The only thing guarding the tower was a krankelet. "The tower's only fifty meters away," Ulrich told Jeremy. "How much time do we have?"

"Enough, if you can get rid of your welcoming committee." The krankelet shifted its bulbous head to the left, and then scampered away, behind the tower. "He ran away," Odd said in disbelief. "Why waste a perfectly good laser arrow on a coward, anyway?"

We ran towards the tower, only to stop short when the tarantulas came out from behind the tower. "So that's why he ran away," I said weakly. There were three of them, plus William. "This just keeps getting better and better," Devlin grumbled as he got out his weapons. I did the same and aimed for the tarantula closest to William.

"All of a sudden that tower seems a lot further away," Odd joked feebly. Sometimes I hated it when he was right about something.

Aelita was hiding behind a shield of virtual rock while we took care of the rest. Ulrich super-sprinted to one of the tarantulas and tried jumping on it, only to be blasted away by another monster.

It would have been funny if it wasn't so real.

William was just standing there, his oversized sword in the ground, his usual sneer plastered all over his face. Odd tried shooting at the tarantulas but to no avail. I tried throwing one of my daggers at one of them, but it was blasted away by a laser.

"This isn't good," said Devlin, who was trying to shoot at one of the monsters.

"We'll never get through at this rate," Aelita said grimly. "You should never say never," Odd said with a smile on his face. Taking Odd's advice, Aelita shot a pink ball of energy at one of the tarantulas and sent it to pixilated heaven.

"Nice one, princess!" Odd congratulated her. I then saw the krankelet sneak up behind him and try to shot him. Odd looked behind him to see me stab it in the XANA eye. "Don't waste a perfectly good laser arrow on a coward," I reminded him happily.

"We have to change tactics," Ulrich said as William finally got his sword out of the ground. He had finally decided to do something. Devlin ran out from behind the shield and started shooting at the tarantulas.

And I thought I was reckless.

It seemed to work; he had shot one tarantula clean in the eye, but he was blasted away by the other one. William paid him no heed and sent the final tarantula after us.

"I got this," Ulrich told us as he ran up to William. That left us with Ugly shooting lasers at us. Odd tried to do what Devlin did, but he wasn't as lucky. A laser got him in the stomach and he laid on the ground. I ran up to him and angrily threw my dagger at the remaining creature, watching him explode. I enjoyed that too much.

I helped Odd up as Aelita ran to deactivate the tower. William shot at her with his own black energy balls, but he even when Ulrich was down, he intentionally missed. That gave Aelita an idea.

She stood there, a foot away from the tower, and stared at William. He didn't shoot at her. "What are you doing?" I yelled at her. "Deactivate the tower!" Jeremy was yelling, reminding us that we were running out of time.

Devlin was up by then, close to where Aelita was. "Shoot and devirtualize me!" she ordered him. "Are you insane?" he yelled at her. But then he saw a still Ulrich and William, both just staring and watching the scene unfold. William then started towards then at an almost leisurely pace, a frown on his angry face.

Devlin shot Aelita in the heart. She pixilated into nothing. With an angry scream, William escaped into the Digital Sea. I turned to an equally confused Odd. "What was all that about?"

Before the return trip, I saw the tower go white.

* * *

><p>"So, you're more important than the supercomputer?" I asked back in Jeremy's room. "XANA wanted to capture me more than he wanted to destroy the computer," Aelita explained. "With me back on Earth, he couldn't do either."<p>

"Awesome," I said as Yumi walked through the door. "How was your day?" Jeremy asked politely. "Believe it or not, we got the highest grade," Yumi said cheerfully. "I also promised John that I would keep his moon as a present." She held up the little red ball in her hand. She threw the ball in the air and caught it. "I owe him at least that, even if he doesn't remember anything."

"Looks like your brother's not that bad after all," Aelita said. "Yeah, he can be pretty handy when he wants to," Yumi admitted. "That's why I'm worried."

"How come?" Ulrich asked. Yumi closed the door behind her. "Because now I know it's useless to keep the door locked to my room."

* * *

><p><em>Hiroki and Odd are my two favorite characters. I don't know why, they just are. XD<em>


	38. Chapter 36: Devlin Freaks Out Again

Chapter 36: Devlin Freaks Out Again

_Just had my first week of school. Not too bad, really. I'm really used to my high school, so I wasn't late to most of my classes. _

_Unfortunately, I'm a junior now, so my homework load will fluctuate over the next school year. And that's not counting the ACT workshops and the actual exam as well. I'll try to post once a week though._

* * *

><p>A week had passed since the meteorite shower. The weather had turned unseasonably warm and was promising to stay that way for a week or so. Then again, it was the weather. It had the habit of screwing people over.<p>

I was still packing for the school trip to the lake. I had almost everything in my red travel bag when Aelita and Ulrich walked in.

"So how's the school's 'It' couple doing?" Ulrich asked with a terrible smirk on his face. I matched it. "Pretty good, if I do say so myself." I frowned. "I just feel bad that Milly and Tamiya got in trouble over that interview."

A few days after the story was printed, Principal Delmas took the two young reporters into his office and lectured them about how the newspaper wasn't a gossip column and was supposed to be for educational purposes only. He apparently had no idea that Odd was a pretty famous guy on campus.

"Well, even if they hadn't printed it people would still be watching you," Aelita pointed out. I shrugged; she had a pretty good point. "If you say so," Ulrich said. He began to walk out the door. "I have to finish packing. I'll see you guys later."

* * *

><p>Stacey was all packed and ready, but not for the field trip. The scientists had called her and told her that she would be leaving Kadic while the others were away on the field trip. It made sense; no need for messy goodbyes later.<p>

Stacey tripled checked all the luggage in her pink suitcases and surveyed her now bare room. All the stuff she had bought from Jeremy's account was either tucked away in her suitcases or had been thrown out for being too big. That meant Stacey had to throw out a _lot_ of stuff. But no matter. The scientists could replace all that later when she got home.

_Home_. The word still felt a little alien when she said it. But Stacey was starting to get used to it. Giggling, she walked out of the room to go outside. A walk around campus was sure to calm her nerves.

"Hey." A voice form behind called out to her. Stacey turned to see Devlin leaning against the wall outside her dorm, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"What do _you_ want?" Stacey asked snottily. All the warm feelings bubbling in her stomach went away, being replaced with hatred and annoyance. Devlin just shrugged. "I haven't seen you in a while. Have you finally given up on your revenge?"

Stacey smiled nastily. "Yes. I have better things to do than push Carter into the Digital Sea, though that would still be nice to do." Devlin looked at her. "Wow. Not for the first time, I want to kill you."

Stacey blinked. "Huh?"

"Never you mind. I hope whatever your planning blows up in your face." Devlin got off from the wall and began to walk away. "Nothing can blow up in my face if I'm not planning anything!" Stacey called after him, but he just ignored her.

Angry beyond comprehension, Stacey stormed down the stairs and outside. Once the cool night air hit her, she began to calm down. Stacey was right; she wasn't planning anything for once. She was just going home, away from this place with Carter and Devlin and all of their stupid little friends.

There it was again; _home_. And for the first time it didn't feel so weird to say.

* * *

><p>Devlin was still in the hallway, thinking. He did that sometimes, just stopping where he was and pondering whatever thought came into his mind. Stacey had just said that she wasn't planning anything. What did <em>that<em> mean? Stacey was always planning something.

And there was something else that was bothering him. The white coats hadn't tried to destroy Lyoko or XANA or try to kidnap Carter and Devlin in a while. And now Stacey said she wasn't planning anything.

Devlin's eyes widened. How had he not seen it? He ran to Jeremy's room and banged on the door. Jeremy opened the door and said, "What's the emergency?"

Devlin, in a sweaty frenzy, said, "I know what the scientists are planning next." Jeremy immediately pulled him into the room and set him on the bed. "Calm down and start from the beginning," he ordered.

"The white coats hadn't tried to destroy Lyoko or XANA or anything since Halloween, right?"

"Right…"

"What if they're bidding their time? What if they're waiting for us to destroy XANA so they can just take us and destroy Lyoko themselves?" Devlin's eyes were dilating and he was sweating profusely.

"They're making us do the work for them," Jeremy realized. "XANA is a threat they can't destroy, so they're waiting for us to do it because they think we can."

"It all makes perfect sense." Devlin had calmed down a bit at this point. He was still sweaty, but at least his heart didn't feel like it was going to explode. He stood up and said, "We'll tell the others tomorrow before the trip. Right now we need to rest."

"I'd rather we do it right now," Jeremy began, but one look at Devlin made him go quiet. But instead of arguing, he said in a defeated tone, "Tell them if you want. I just want to go to bed." Without saying goodbye, he closed the door.

* * *

><p>"So they're just sitting around and making us do all the work?" Yumi asked. It was the next day, and everyone except Yumi was carrying a suitcase and a backpack. We were up way too early on a school day. "Sucks, doesn't it?" Devlin said casually. He looked a little pale, making his freckles stand out even more.<p>

"But what do you think they're doing in the meantime?" I asked. "I mean, they're probably trying to find a way to destroy XANA in case we fail, right?"

"I don't know," Jeremy admitted. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."

"And with that, we can begin our trip on a happy note," Odd joked. Yumi had to leave to go to class, so the rest of us walked over to the bus. Jim was already throwing luggage into the travel bus, so we got in line.

"At least we don't have to worry about the white coats attacking anymore," Aelita said lightly. "We just have to worry about XANA." "Yeah, I'm worried that it's going to attack while we're on the trip," Jeremy said.

"After working day and night for a week on the program, I think you deserve a little break," Aelita said to him, making Jeremy smile. "It'll be the first time we go camping together, too!" At this point we had to stop talking so Jim could put away our luggage. After that, we slowly walked toward the bus.

"What program are you talking about anyway?" Ulrich asked. I noticed that Odd was carrying an unusually large carry-on with him. I raised an eyebrow at him; he smiled sheepishly at me. That made me more suspicious.

"Aelita thought we should suit up the protection shields on the Skid," Devlin said. "We haven't tested it yet, though."

"I bet with you three working on all of this, work must be going smoothly," I said. The three geniuses looked at each other and smiled. "In this case, three heads are better than one." We laughed at Jeremy's attempt at a joke.

"You three are incredible, really," Odd was saying without looking in front of him. "Working on the Skid in your free time. As if we didn't have enough homework from- OW!" Odd had just slammed into Jim's large stomach, forcing us all to stop walking. "Della Robbia, weren't you listening?" Jim asked. "I told you to store the suitcase."

"You said carry-on was okay. Look, I'm carrying it." Odd smiled nervously. What the hell was in that bag?

Jim, seeing that he was defeated, decided to turn his sights on Sissi. "Sissi, what are you doing with that stuff?" I saw that not only had Sissi brought more than one suitcase, she had also decided to bring her bike. I sighed. Sissi had become much nicer over the past few months, but that materialistic side of hers hadn't changed.

Ignoring the scene in front of us, we climbed into the bus and took our seats. I sat next to Odd and Ulrich with Aelita. Devlin and Jeremy decided to sit together behind them. "Devlin, you okay?" I asked him quietly, since he was still looking pretty pale. He just nodded at me. I didn't buy it.

Odd took out a chocolate biscuit and snapped it in two. He then offered a half to his bag. I watched as Kiwi's head popped out and ate the cookie. "You took Kiwi with you?" I hissed, scanning the area for any teachers (read: Jim).

"How could I leave Kiwi in my room while we're getting fresh air?" Odd defended as he ate his part of the cookie. "You do know that chances of him not getting caught by Jim are slim to none, right?" I asked, getting out the Harry Potter book I had packed along for the ride. Odd just grumbled.

* * *

><p>I was right. But since Odd was already feeling bad, I decided not to rub it in his face.<p>

Halfway to the camp sight, Kiwi began to get restless and started barking. Odd tried to quiet him down, but Jim had caught on to him. And just because things couldn't get any worse, Kiwi decided to jump out of the bag and into Odd's arm. If Odd wasn't in so much trouble, I would have found it adorable.

Of course, Odd tried to cover it up by calling Kiwi a stray dog that somehow sneaked onto the bus. It was a bad try since the collar on the dog clearly said "Della Robbia" on it. Odd tried to call it off, saying that the name "Della Robbia" was a common last name, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

Odd now was in trouble with the principal. Kiwi must have been sensing his mood, because he kept trying to lick his owner's face. I scratched his head and smiled at the dog, which prompted him to lick my hand. If my hand wasn't covered in dog drool, I would have melted into a puddle due of Kiwi's cuteness by now.

Before we stopped at the camp site, Jim had put Kiwi on a leash to try and control him. Once the bus stopped and opened its doors, Kiwi jumped out and started sniffing the area, dragging poor Jim along with him. So much for that idea.

Odd was the next person off the bus and he ran up to Jim. "I told you not to put him on a leash!" "Oh, yeah? And what if he had bit one of the other students?" Jim asked. "What then?" Odd began to walk away. "If you insist." When I finally caught up with him, he said, "He's got his work cut out for him."

"Here we are," Mrs. Hertz began, standing on the shore of the lake. "This will be our home and laboratory for the weekend. An unspoiled haven for all lovers of flora. A field trip to a true garden of Eden! In short, an ecosystem unequaled in the region and you are looking right at it." All the while Mrs. Hertz was talking in a dream-like manner, like she truly believed in all of this.

I for one actually agreed with her. Because San Diego had beaches and nearly perfect weather year-round, the environment was populated with humans, creating excess pollution and disrupting the natural ecosystem. It was rare to find something that wasn't totally man-made there.

We were going to stay on the island, which was pretty damn small. The rubber dinghies were even smaller. I was stuck with Devlin rowing Heidi and some other kid to the island, while Aelita, Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremy had their own dinghy. I could see Jeremy tapping away at his laptop and Aelita hold up her phone while the boys did all the work.

"Well that's just great!" Heidi cried, holding up her own cell phone. "We barely have service here." "Guess that means Jeremy can't get on the Internet either," Devlin noted as he continued rowing.

"Some time away from technology will be good for him," I pointed out. "He's wasted half his life in front of some screen. Some actual fresh air won't kill him." "What are you, his mother?" the kid I didn't know snickered.

"Do you want to row this thing?"

"…I'll be good."

Truth was I was kind of worried about the lack of Internet connection. What if XANA attacked while we were away? Yumi couldn't do anything on her own. But I told myself not to worry so much. We were here to relax and do schoolwork, even if those two things didn't belong in the same sentence.

What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

><p><em>Silly Carter; you'd think she'd know better. *shrugs* Oh well. <em>


	39. Chapter 37: The Lake Monster

Chapter 37: The Lake Monster

"I despise camping," I hissed as I tried and failed to set up my tent. I was laying on the ground on the island with the instructions on how to set up my tent right next to me. So far I had been able to get the tent out of the bag without ripping anything. Setting it up, on the other hand…

I could hear footsteps behind me. "Need some help?" Devlin asked pleasantly, taking in the mess in front of me. "Yes," I said gratefully. He knelt down to pick up the instructions and looked it over. "It's actually fairly simple." He then went on to explain using simple terms I could understand. In about ten minutes my tent was up.

I stood up, wiping the dirt off my jeans. "I never knew you knew how to camp." "I don't; I just understand the instructions." Devlin folded the paper and handed it to me. "I've already set mine up. Let's go help the others."

I walked over to Aelita, who wasn't that far from my tent. "Need any help?" I asked her, sneaking up behind her. She started, but grinned when she saw that it was me. "I understand most of it. Just help me hold it in place, will you?"

"Got it." I got the wooden mallet out and helped Aelita out. Devlin was helping out the guys. I thought I heard a tent crashing on someone and Odd laughing. Aelita looked at me. "We should go check that out." I nodded, and we finished up the tent.

Herve had been trying to set up his tent quickly, probably in hopes of impressing Sissi. A small gust of wind was enough to knock it over. Odd, who was laughing nearby, was not helping matters.

"Did you set up your tent, Odd?" Aelita asked sweetly. Odd shut up and walked away. I high-fived Aelita, impressed.

* * *

><p>According to Jeremy, there was nothing we could do if XANA attacked due to the lack of Internet connection. Yumi was watching the computer at home, so there shouldn't have been anything to worry about.<p>

"The flower called _Campanula _scouleri can only thrive on small islands such as this one, since its protected from ruminants by a barrier of water," Mrs. Hertz was lecturing after the entire class was done setting up their tents. We were on the shore of the island, with Mrs. Hertz kneeling on the ground collecting said flower, which was very pretty.

"So, can anyone tell me what would happen if the lake dried up?" Mrs. Hertz asked the class. Nicholas raised his hand. "Uh, we would be able to walk home?" The entire class cracked up, since it was actually pretty funny. Mrs. Hertz just looked annoyed.

"The presence of so much _Campanula_…" Mrs. Hertz continued, but I just tuned her out. I guess flora wasn't exactly my thing. I looked over at Odd and Ulrich next to me, and both looked like they were trying very hard not to fall asleep.

After a minute, Mrs. Hertz directed us into the woods to see the butterflies that came with the flower. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a strange black glob in the lake. Nicholas noticed it too. "Hey, there's a lot of pollution in this lake." Heidi turned around and gasped loudly as the gray blob grew bigger by the second.

Nicholas grabbed a stick off the ground and started to poke it. "I don't think that's such a good idea," I warned him as he was electrocuted. He screamed and fell to the ground, unconscious. Heidi began screaming. "Go get help!" I ordered her, and she ran into the woods to get the teachers.

I peered over at Nicholas. Devlin had told me a long time ago not to touch anyone who had been electrocuted until I was sure the victim was no longer connected to the thing that electrocuted him. Since Nicholas wasn't poking the blob in the water with a stick, I assumed it was safe to check his pulse. He was breathing, but barely.

Heidi soon came back with Mrs. Hertz and Jim and some other concerned students. Mrs. Hertz swooped down and took over, pushing me aside. As I stood up, Mrs. Hertz said, "He's in a state of shock, but he's breathing."

"There was this thing in the lake," Heidi explained. "It was black and it shot a lightning bolt at Nicholas!" "I saw it too," I agreed.

"It must have been an electric eel," Jim started. I looked over at Jeremy, Devlin, and Ulrich, who had all come to examine the crime scene. I gave them a look that plainly said, _What the hell is he talking about? _Devlin shrugged, mystified, while Jeremy and Ulrich looked at each other. We all knew what was going on.

As Jim left to get the first aid kit, Jeremy said, "Ma'am, I think we're all in great danger here." "Now, now, Jeremy," Mrs. Hertz said calmly, "these things happen. Nicholas will be just fine."

I looked over at the lake and saw the gray glob spreading out towards us. It was crackling with electricity, but before I could figure out how it wasn't electrocuting itself in the water, I yelled out, "It's back!" and pointed to the lake.

Before Mrs. Hertz could ask, the blob attacked, sending a volt of white lightning to the shore. I hit the ground and braced for impact. I felt hot lightning sizzle the ground next to me, but I was otherwise fine. When it was over, I looked at the carnage. Mrs. Hertz was unconscious next to Nicholas, and half the students with us were on the ground as well. Devlin and Ulrich were hiding behind a tree with Sissi, and Jeremy had tried to protect Heidi. I stood up shakily as I heard Jim drop the first aid kit in shock. "What is going on here?" he asked, stupefied.

* * *

><p>After running away from the scene, we huddled away from the campsite to plot out our next course of action.<p>

"We have to find a way to get back to the factory," Jeremy said obviously. Odd was looking at me, trying to find any blood or burns on me. I had already assured him I was fine, if a little shaky. Still, his concern was sweet, even though we had bigger things to worry about.

"We can't get off the island without getting electrocuted," Ulrich pointed out. "If we create a diversion, maybe some of us could get away," Devlin said hopefully. "Okay, you, Odd, Ulrich, and Carter create a diversion while Aelita and I try to contact Yumi," Jeremy ordered dismissing us.

As we left, Devlin suddenly smiled. He no longer looked pale like earlier, which was a good sign. He turned to Odd, who looked very anxious about that smile.

* * *

><p>Ulrich and I ran to Aelita and Jeremy. "Okay, we're all set!" Ulrich said as we skidded to a stop. "Okay, you guys go to the factory, and hurry!" Jeremy ordered us. We ran to the two dinghies, and after making sure Aelita and Ulrich were safe in theirs, Devlin and I pushed the other one we prepared into the middle of the lake. Kiwi barked at us, running about in the little rubber dinghy. I heart broke a little when I heard him whimper at us, but I reminded myself it was for the greater good.<p>

Odd then ran to get Jim, who would hopefully try to save Kiwi instead of going after us. Aelita hid under a tarp and Devlin and Ulrich got ready to row. I sat at the end, looking out for Jim. I heard the two of them coming up, with Odd laying it on thick: "Only you can save that poor defenseless animal!" I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

Jim grudgingly got into a dinghy and rowed after Kiwi, who was floating away to the middle of the lake. Ulrich and Devlin rowed as quietly as they could away. As Jim caught up to Kiwi and tried to save him, Kiwi jumped out of his dinghy and into the water. He swam to us, revealing our plot to Jim.

"Come back here, Stern, Wilder, Green!" Jim yelled at us. "Your last name's Green?" Ulrich asked Devlin between pants. "Yeah. Didn't you know?" Devlin shot back.

Jim rowed after us, yelling at us to turn back to the island. As we were about to hit the shore of the mainland, I saw the electric blob pool around us. "Swim faster, it's onto us!" I yelled at the boys. They rowed even faster, unwilling to get fried. But the blob was quick and it soon overcame us. Electricity hit me in the back and I screamed from the pain. My vision grew dim as I slumped in my position, a hand over the side. I could hear the others calling out to me, but their voices diminished as the world went black.

* * *

><p>When I finally came to, Odd was dragging me to a giant antenna creation. Jeremy was yelling at the other students to get under it as well, and I could hear their hurried footsteps.<p>

I tried to stand on my own, but I would have fallen to the ground if Odd hadn't caught me. "Jesus, what hit me?" I asked as Odd gently set me on the ground. "XANA sent a lightning bolt your way," he explained. "The others left you and are already at the factory. I paddled over to you when I saw you and got you out of the water and over here. By then XANA had gotten out of the lake and was terrorizing the rest of us on land."

Odd actually risked his life to save me? For some reason, that fact warmed me all over. "Thank you," I said sincerely, giving him one of my biggest smiles. He frowned back. "We're not out of the woods yet," he said seriously.

I looked around. All of the students and Mrs. Hertz were at the antenna by now, and XANA was still sending lightning bolts all over the camp site. The antenna was soaking up most of the lightning aimed at us, but since it was a makeshift creation, it wouldn't last much longer.

'The electrical discharges are getting more intense," Jeremy was saying calmly over the awful screams of the other students. "Given the enormous rate of ionization against the dispersion factor of the ground, they're going to reach a highly critical mass in just about seven minutes."

"Meaning…?" Odd asked, not understanding what Jeremy was babbling on about.

"In about seven minutes, everything on this island is going to be one big barbeque," I explained quickly. Odd's eyes widened, and I prayed to whatever god was listening that Aelita would deactivate the tower and fast.

The sky turned black and the only light came from the lightning that was trying to kill us. By now everyone was crouching, trying not to get hit. Odd had his arms wrapped protectively around me, and Kiwi jumped into my arms and shook with fear. I moved my legs closer to my chest and closed my eyes, ready for the worst.

And then…nothing. The lightning and thunder stopped, and the black skies turned blue. I opened my eyes to sunlight pouring down on us.

I slowly stood up, Kiwi still in my arms. Odd put his hands on my shoulders and asked Jeremy, "Hey, Benjamin Franklin. Do you think Aelita remembered to program a return to the past?"

And then the white light washed over, answering Odd's question.

* * *

><p>We were on the bus again, back in the same seating arrangements. "So I regenerated the shields by activating several towers for a few seconds at a time. That's what saved the Skid," Aelita recounted happily as she told us what happened on Lyoko.<p>

"So that's what you guys have been working on?" Ulrich asked. "That must have been fun." "Anyway, it's effective," Devlin said blithely. "It requires too much energy to be used all the time, but it works in emergencies."

"Though I do wonder how come you were so calm when XANA attacked on the island," Odd thought out loud. "What, do XANA attacks not scare you anymore?"

"Oh, there still scary," Jeremy admitted, "but since he never makes the same mistake twice, and since Aelita, Devlin, and I have been working nonstop all this week, it was like a little, well…"

I raised a hand and smiled. "Okay, we get the picture." I turned to Odd, noticing his lack of canine around. "What'd you do with Kiwi this time?"

"Let's just say I got someone who knows what a dog's life really means," Odd said, munching on a chocolate biscuit.

"In other words, Yumi's taking care of him," Ulrich translated for me. "I'm glad I'm not her," I said, reaching for the giant Harry Potter book I packed for the trip.


	40. Chapter 38: The Death of Stacey

Chapter 38: The Death of Stacey

_I just realized that I never gave Stacey a last name. I can't really think of one, so she'll just stay a one name character._

_By the way, I had a homecoming pep rally at my high school today! Spirit week was so much fun this year, but I hate how they got rid of Tacky Tuesday. To me, that's like a Spirit Week staple. Oh, well._

* * *

><p>Stacey was in the Le Bourget airport, waiting at the gate for the announcer to say the boarding time. It was Sunday afternoon, and her former classmates were probably coming back to Kadic right about now.<p>

Stacey had not said her goodbyes to Paul and Jean or any of her other "friends". Stacey did not do goodbyes; too sappy and tearful for her tastes. Besides, they didn't matter anymore. The only reason why Stacey was nice to those people in the first place to get some people against Carter and to not be bored at the academy. But all of that was out the window now.

Because she was going back home, to people who actually cared about her.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, she's gone?" Devlin asked Sissi by the vending machine, the one that almost never worked. It was Monday morning just before classes, and while Devlin normally didn't care about them, he noticed a few students wipe a tear away for some reason. So the only natural thing to do was to ask Sissi, since she was so nice now.<p>

"Yeah, I was shocked too," Sissi admitted her eyes downcast. "She didn't say anything to anybody, apparently. My father was complaining about it being so sudden of her parents to just transfer her out of here. I just wonder why, though."

_Because the scientists wanted her to come back. _"Maybe something came up," Devlin offered. "And you said it was sudden, so maybe there wasn't any time for a going away party or something." Sissi nodded slowly, showing that she came to the same conclusion as well.

Devlin saw Ulrich and the gang sans Yumi coming up behind Sissi. "Thanks for the info!" Devlin said as he hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders and walked past her. They all looked at him in confusion as he made his friends huddle away from the vending machine.

"Stacey's gone back to the scientists," Devlin said grimly. The others looked at him in surprise; only Carter looked indifferent to the news. "Why are you all so surprised?" she asked them. "We already know that she wanted to scientists' attention. If they told her to come back, she would go back."

"We never thought she would actually do it," Aelita told her. Devlin looked at her. "You seriously thought that she would somehow come to her senses and not go back?" Aelita nodded sheepishly. Devlin shook his head. "Only an idealist would think that."

"So I guess that makes you Mr. Pessimist," Odd tried to joke, though it fell flat. "I'm not pessimistic, I'm realistic," Devlin said. "There _is_ a difference."

"But what about Lyoko and the supercomputer?" Jeremy asked. "Doesn't Stacey know about that?"

"You mean other than what she's seen and what we've told her?" Carter shot back. "She didn't become one of the Warriors. Hell, she was only on our Lyoko once during the entire time she stayed here. She doesn't know enough to be of any use to the white coats."

"And like I said, they want us to destroy Lyoko for them," Devlin reminded them. "So that means they don't really need any more information on our plans." Aelita looked at the group with wide eyes.

Ulrich was a step behind the others. "So what does _that_ mean?"

* * *

><p>Stacey was in a taxi with Vivian, zipping through San Diego to the laboratory. Stacey was excited; she had never seen the lab from the outside before. And what would the other scientists do when they saw her? She was eager to find out.<p>

It wasn't long before the yellow taxi pulled up in front of a white building that was easy to ignore in the colorful city. Two security guards clad in blue came over and got out Stacey's bags from the trunk while Vivian paid the driver. She hadn't said anything during the trip home. Then again, the lab was only ten minutes away by car from the airport.

Stacey walked into the building and was greeted by a large white lobby, filled with people in business suits answering calls on their state of the art cell phones and reading the Wall Street Journal. Vivian led her to the side, where the elevators were. The security guards with all of Stacey's belongings were gone.

"Where are the guards?" she asked as Vivian pressed the button for the basement. "They're going to put your things in your new room," Vivian answered smoothly as the elevator lurched down. Stacey was ecstatic as she imagined what her new room would look like.

The elevator finally stopped at the basement floor, which was dark and dank and filled to the brim with metal boxes and old supplies. The dim lights cast an eerie glow over the decrepit scene.

Vivian led Stacey to the end, where there was a large titanium door just ten feet in front of them. It had to be the lab. "Now, before we go in, I want you to close your eyes," Vivian ordered in a syrupy sweet voice. Stacey did as she was told, a smile plastered on her face. She didn't hear as Vivian drew her pistol. She did hear a click, but didn't put two and two together.

Only when Stacey felt the cold metal at the back of her head did her eyes snap open and her mouth opened to scream. But whatever she was about to say was lost forever when Vivian shot the pistol, and Stacey's brains splattered all over the titanium door.

* * *

><p>The gang took the news pretty hard. I didn't see why. If the white coats could kill adults for their own personal gain, what was stopping them from killing children? But the others didn't see it that way. They had more or less grown up in a world where the bad guys were justly punished and the good guys got to live happily ever after. To them, this was the worst reality check ever.<p>

But that changed when Devlin revealed the new program Jeremy was working on.

"Yeah, I found a way to get William back!" he said cheerfully as he rubbed the red keyboard imprint on his forehead. But whatever he was about to say was stopped when Hiroki, Yumi's little brother, tugged on Ulrich's arm. "Ulrich, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked, a worried little frown overtaking his mischievous face.

Ulrich smiled at him. "Well, yeah, if you really want to." He turned to the rest of us. "Go on ahead, I'll meet you inside." We walked away at a leisurely pace, occasionally stealing glances at the two of them.

By the time Ulrich was done talking, we were already eating breakfast at the cafeteria. After grabbing a bite to eat, he sat at our table as usual. "So what did Hiroki want to talk about?" Jeremy asked out of curiosity. Ulrich grinned at the memory. "Aw, he wanted my advice. He's crazy about Milly."

"He's crazy about precocious little Milly?" I asked him rhetorically. Then again, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. According to Yumi, Hiroki had skipped a grade, and Milly was pretty smart for a girl her age. Naturally Hiroki would be attracted to a smart girl.

"Isn't that cute," Odd agreed, soup dripping down his chin since he had been slurping it. "But isn't he a little young for her?" "No he's not," Aelita protested. "He's just a little small for his age, and he just skipped a grade in school."

"But he acts even younger than his age," Odd reminded her. Since there was nothing else to say about the subject, Ulrich asked Jeremy and Devlin, "So what's this new idea of yours?"

Jeremy put down his food and began to explain. "Well, when a human being is virtualized, he or she emits a binary residue, which we can say manifests itself an animation of his physical personnel, re-sequenced as a form of digital format."

"You lost me at 'human being'," I admitted. "In human speak, please," Ulrich pleaded. "When you go to Lyoko, you leave a kind of digital trace," Aelita simplified for the rest of us. "Something like a scent."

"Couldn't you have said that in the first place?" Ulrich asked Jeremy, taking a sip of his drink. "Of course not, he's Einstein," Devlin answered for him. "He lives to confuse us mere mortals."

"Anyway," Jeremy continued, "I came up with a program based on William's DNA sequence that I recorded when he went to Lyoko for the first time. If I can upload this onto the Skid's sonar, we can hunt for him on the network every time we go there. And finally find out where William really is." Jeremy finished with a satisfied grin.

"And since we don't have class this afternoon, we should probably try it out," Devlin said.

* * *

><p>After classes, I met up with the three geniuses to get Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi. We saw them outside Yumi's class, Ulrich with one hand inside his messenger bag.<p>

"Alright, we can test out the program!" Devlin said happily. "What program?" Yumi asked, confused. "Oh, right, you weren't here for that," Jeremy remembered and then launched into an abridged version of what he told the rest of us at breakfast. After he was done, Hiroki showed up, hands behind his head.

"Yumi, I've been looking for you everywhere!" he said. "I wanted to apologize for this morning. I had no right to take your diary." He looked really sincere too.

"Did you find it?" Yumi said coldly, looking away from her brother.

"No, but I looked everywhere, I swear!"

"Well, until you find it, you can consider yourself an only child." Yumi turned and walked away, not even caring how heartbroken Hiroki looked. Hiroki walked away too, probably to go look for Yumi's diary again.

"What happened?" Aelita asked the guys. "Oh, nothing, just something about diaries," Odd dismissed the question. "We'll tell you about it later. Ulrich, can I see you for a minute?" Odd led Ulrich away, leaving the four of us to ourselves.

"What now?" I asked Jeremy. He shrugged and said, "Lunch?"

* * *

><p>At the factory, I noticed that Yumi looked even angrier than before. I was too afraid to ask her what's up, though.<p>

After we dropped Jeremy off in the computer room, we headed for the scanners. It took two turns to get each of us onto Sector Five, with the guys going first. As soon as we girls got onto Lyoko, the guys stopped talking about… whatever it was they were talking about. We then left to go to the ship.

Once we were on board and lifted off out of dry dock, we went straight for the Digital Sea to see if Jeremy's new program worked.

And knowing Jeremy, there was a problem with it.

"We've got a system error," Devlin told the rest of us. "I think the Skid has a malfunction as part of its sensory capacity." I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded _bad_.

"My program bugged up the Skid's sonar," Jeremy said. I could hear him typing away on his keyboard as he tried to fix the problem. "The mission's too dangerous without sonar. We have to end it now."

"Roger that, J-man," Devlin conceded. "Aelita, if you would." "Returning to dry dock," she said, rotating the Skid away from its initial course and back to Lyoko.

"Okay, next mission: diving into my pillow and burying myself under the covers. Objective: a good night's sleep to clear my head." Even Odd's voice sounded sleepy when he said that.

And then the sea turned red, signaling an attack.

"Sorry Odd, you'll have to postpone your nap for later," Jeremy said. "We have three congers heading your way." "Nav Skids, away," Aelita said, releasing the fighters to do their jobs.

A blue eel instantly tried a head-on attack on Yumi, but she hit it instantly. She was a very good fighter when she was angry. Odd had an eel stuck on his tail so I went in to save him. As the conger was busy with him, I shot at it, instantly taking it out.

Ulrich and Odd teamed up for the last monster. They both shot at it at the same time, but they missed. The conger was not happy at them. It shot at them as they swerved in different directions, confusing the eel. Odd and Ulrich swerved back to the eel at warp speed, heading straight for each other. They both shot a torpedo at it, effectively killing it in its confusion.

Aelita ordered us to come back, and we merged the Nav Skids back with the mother ship. "Hey, where's Yumi?" Aelita asked anxiously. I looked around in my limited corner but couldn't see her ship.

"I don't get it," Jeremy said. "I can't find any trace of her. I lost her!"

"She must have gotten hit by a conger," Devlin offered. "But that's impossible," Ulrich cried. "Einstein, do you think she might have been virtualized for good?" Odd asked, no longer in a good mood.

"…No, I don't think so," Jeremy eventually answered back. "The data recording from the fight doesn't show her having been eliminated." "That means she's still on board on her Nav Skid," Aelita said. "Probably somewhere in the Digital Sea."

"Yeah, but the Skid is in no condition to find her. You have to come back so I can do a repair check," Jeremy ultimately decided. "No way!" Ulrich yelled. "We can't just leave her behind!"

"Ulrich, no one's leaving anyone, but all of us run the risk of being devirtualized forever with the Skid's systems down," Devlin said pragmatically.

"Yeah, your right, we better go." I did not like the defeated tone in Ulrich's voice.

* * *

><p>"As long as you let Jeremy concentrate, we can get back on the network and find Yumi soon," Devlin told Ulrich as we travelled up to the computer room. We were back in the real world, while poor Yumi was stuck all alone in the Digital Sea.<p>

"We'll help him," Aelita said with a smile. "We'll call you as soon as we know." None of us were happy about that, but what choice did we have?

Ulrich and Odd went back to school while I stayed in the factory. I had brought my homework along just in case, so I tried focusing on that in the scanner room. I seemed to help for a while, but my mind always went back to Yumi. Right before I threw my textbook at the wall, Aelita and Devlin came down to the scanners. They rushed out as soon as the elevator doors opened.

"We found Yumi!" Devlin shouted with joy.

* * *

><p>Yumi had most likely went into a hub, which made it almost impossible to find her. But she must have been in a fight, because she fired a torpedo, giving us her location.<p>

Once the Skid went into the hub, we found Yumi in her beat up Nav Skid with no weapons and almost no power, nearly getting shot at with torpedoes from William's personal Nav Skid.

The Skid's shield took the attacks, and Aelita said, "Well, Yumi, did you think you could wander off without telling us where you were?"

"It took you long enough to get here!" Yumi cried happily as the rest of the Nav Skids went out to take care of the conger and William.

Odd aimed at the conger, missing at first but eventually hitting it. William went straight for Ulrich, firing torpedoes at him. "We can't leave you alone for a minute, can we?" I joked as Odd and I joined Ulrich. The three of us went in different directions, Odd left, Ulrich right, me going up.

But William wasn't as stupid as the conger, so he went after Odd. Ulrich and I swerved back, both of us shooting one torpedo at him and nailing William from behind. William's Nav Skid exploded, or it seemed like it anyway. But that wasn't the last we were going to see of him, no way.

We all went back to the mother ship, including Yumi, as the sea went back to cerulean.

* * *

><p><em>I tried not to get too gory with Stacey's death scene. I have no regrets killing her off; she was vindictive and failed at being manipulative, giving up on her revenge plan when it fell flat. Good riddance.<em>


	41. Chapter 39: Alex Learns the Truth

Chapter 39: Alex Learns the Truth

_I have finally_ _written this chapter! I think I did the confrontation scene very well, but that's only my opinion. Read through the chapter and tell me what you think._

* * *

><p>It was the weekend before Christmas and I was in Paris, getting some last minute presents for my friends and Uncle Henry. Normally I would already have my presents wrapped and hidden deep in my closet, but with XANA attacks and schoolwork, I had gotten behind on it. At least I only had to get my uncle's gift ready; everything else was prepared.<p>

Besides, this last minute shopping binge got my mind off the upcoming event: my old classmates coming for an hour or two to Kadic the day before school let out for vacation. I was terrified out of my mind. Sure, most of them probably wouldn't remember me- I was just some nerd back then- but there was Alex and her cronies to think about. No doubt they would come just to make fun of me. But I was planning on helping Jeremy at the factory anyway and, knowing them, they wouldn't actually do anything unless they saw me.

**The Day before Winter Break**

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the Swiss Alps with me?" I asked Aelita for the millionth time. I was packing my stuff for break in our shared dorm room. Aelita would be staying with Yumi's family over break since she didn't have anywhere else to go for the holidays. At least if XANA attacked while the rest of were away, she and Yumi could take care of it.

"I'm sure. But I do wonder why you never told me your uncle had a friend living there." Aelita cocked an eyebrow at me as she lay on her bed. I held up my hands in mock surrender. "I didn't know either. But it helped us in the end, don't you think?"

**Flashback to a week ago**

"_Carter, we need to talk," Devlin said after barging into the dorm room. "Dude, knock first," I shot back, annoyed. I was at my desk, holding my warm cell phone in my hand. I looked over at Devlin and saw the gang spilling out of the hallway and into the room. Yumi, the last one in, closed the door to make sure we wouldn't be overheard._

"_You are not going to San Diego for break," Odd ordered me. "The scientists are back there," Jeremy explained. "If they find out your back in town, they'll try to kidnap you or something!"_

_I held up my phone. "I already got that covered." They looked at me, surprised. "I told my uncle that it was high time we had a white Christmas, so I suggested we go skiing in the Swiss Alps. Turns out he has an old military buddy who lives there. He's going to ask if we could borrow his cabin over break."_

"_You were one step ahead of us," Aelita said with her usual elfin smile. "By the way, where are Devlin and Aelita going to stay?" I asked, looking at them. "I'm staying over at Yumi's," Aelita said happily. "They don't mind, and even better, I can check up on the supercomputer much more easily." "Ulrich told his parents that I'm a great tutor, and they practically begged me to come stay with them," Devlin said humorously, while Ulrich grinned._

_Odd raised his hand like he was still in class. "Something wrong, Odd?" Jeremy asked. Odd turned to me. "You have family in the military?" I blinked. "Oh, right, I never told any of you," I muttered. I said aloud, "It never really came up, so I guess I never bothered to tell any of you."_

"_Well, it's certainly convenient," Jeremy said. I gave him a high-five._

**Flash forward to today**

I finished packing and the two of us headed out to lunch. School had ended early because of the San Diego students, and nearly half the school was empty due to the holidays. Aelita and I were in the surprisingly small line for food when we saw Yumi heading our way.

"Not many people left," she commented as she got in line. "So, what's the plan for the day?" Yumi stared pointedly at me. As far as I know she hadn't told anyone about my past; she probably figured I had to tell them myself. I collected myself and said, "I'm meeting my uncle at the airport so we can travel together to the Alps. Until then Jeremy's finally going to show me and Odd how to virtualize people onto Lyoko."

"He still hasn't shown you guys?" Aelita asked me. I couldn't blame her for being surprised. Usually Jeremy was on top of things like that. "What with homework, working on the Skid, and XANA attacks, I can't blame him for forgetting," I said honestly. Up until now, I had also forgotten. Luckily the memory resurfaced just before break.

After we got our lunch, we headed over to our usual table, where the guys were already digging into Kadic's poor excuse of edible meals. Odd was whining about how he had to go to the factory while everyone else didn't, but that was interrupted with Jim reminding us about the visitors coming to our school right after lunch.

"Too bad you have to miss them," Yumi hissed at me. She was still trying to get me to tell. I rolled my eyes. "Work comes first," I hissed back as Jim concluded his announcement. As the noise level in the cafeteria went up again, Aelita asked me, "Are you sure you don't want to see your classmates again?" Everyone knew that I had some bad memories regarding my old school, but only Yumi knew the extent of it. So I took Aelita's question as innocent concern.

"Nah. Besides, I don't see what the big deal about them is." Everyone looked at each other before staring back at me.

"They're just like us, only American."

"Which what makes them so exotic," Odd said before shoving more food into his mouth. It was still inconclusive as to where he put all that food.

* * *

><p>Alex was very content right now. She had just had a great lunch at a chic café with her friends, and now she was going to Kadic, the uber-rich school <em>she<em> should have gone to.

She was holding hands with Chet, a muscular jock with curly blond hair and to die for blue eyes, on the bus that was headed near the academy. Lydia and Dana were in the seats in front of her, and the rest of the class was idly chatting about all the stuff they had already seen, like the Arc de Triomphe, the Lourve museum, and even the Eiffel Tower (that one was only at a distance, though). The morning had been fairly lazy compared to the last two busy days, with most students getting up at nine to eat breakfast and do a little shopping before lunch.

And now they were at Kadic, or at least near the front gates. The principal was out there, waiting to welcome them inside for the two-hour tour of the school. He was wearing a brown tweed jacket with matching pants, and he had gray hair with a matching scruffy beard and glasses. What a nerd.

As the class finally walked over to the gates, Principal Delmas- or something like that; Alex wasn't really paying attention- gave the short welcoming speech that no one wanted to listen to. They weren't going to split into groups since there were less than thirty students visiting in total, and the teachers trusted them to keep together.

They were halfway to the administrative wing when Alex saw Carter. She was sneaking into the campus forest for some reason. No one was paying attention to her, which must have made her overconfident. But Alex saw her.

It wasn't hard to convince Chet to cover for her and Dana and Lydia. Chet may have been adorable, but he was pretty dim. The three girls then snuck away from the group and into the forest. They tried to follow Carter's footsteps, but they soon got lost. Alex angrily pushed her black bangs out of her face as she looked around.

"Why are we doing this again?" Lydia complained, putting her long dark hair into a ponytail, since it was annoying her. "Carter isn't that important," Dana agreed, her short red hair a mess from the wind.

Alex turned her head to glare at them. "Are you kidding? She stole my chance to go here! Of course she's important!"

"But we got her back already," Dana pointed out.

"Shut up and just help me find her." Alex surveyed the area and noticed a clearing up ahead. She started walking towards it and noticed a manhole cover smack dab in the middle of the clearing. "Found her," Alex said triumphantly as she pried it open.

"But that leads into the sewers!" Lydia shrieked, already plugging her nose. Dana just looked disgusted as Alex started climbing into the hole.

* * *

><p>"…and virtualization!" I said as I virtualized Odd for the first time. I waited anxiously as Jeremy and I looked at the screens to make sure everything went right. If he was on Lyoko, he should have answered by now. "Odd, are you there?" I asked timidly.<p>

"Ahhh! My arms are missing!"

"Oh God!"

"Just kidding."

"Damn it, Odd, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I said angrily as I watched his little green icon on the screen. "I think we have intruders," Jeremy suddenly said, looking at the security cameras. I looked and I felt sick to my stomach. There were three girls walking into the factory: one with naturally tan skin with her long black hair in a ponytail, a petite red head with fashionable glasses, and the leader, a girl with her black hair in a fashionable bob and an air of superiority around her. All were wearing fashionable clothing, and they walked purposefully, like they had a mission to complete.

They found me.

"Jeremy, devirtualize Odd. I'll handle this," I ordered him as I put down the headset. "What are you going to do?" Jeremy asked me. I was sweating like crazy and the sick feeling in my stomach made me feel even more nauseous. I really didn't want to do this; every fiber in my being was telling me to run away, like with nearly all of my problems. But now I could see that Yumi was right. I had to face up to my past because it would always follow me.

I looked at Jeremy, who was still waiting for an answer. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

* * *

><p>I couldn't use the elevator; too obvious. So instead I snuck out from the doorway leading to the old assembly line, where I could hopefully creep up to them without them noticing me.<p>

As I slowly made my way up to the front of the factory, I had my doubts. The flight-or-fight response in me was poised at flight, and I still wanted to run away. But I had gone up against a XANA-possessed William. I had faced virtual monsters on Lyoko. I survived the tests Vivian threw at me back at the project. All of my past experiences filled me with strength, and the sick feeling slowly went away. What could three bitchy high school girls do to me? It was high time I fought back.

When I finally saw them, Lydia was having trouble getting down from the top level. She was screeching about how she was going to break her neck if she used the ropes. Alex was arguing with her, yelling at her to come down, while Dana was trying to calm her down with encouraging words. Eventually Lydia relented, grabbing one of the ropes and slowly making her way down to the bottom floor. Dana was still saying words of encouragement, while Alex just stared her down.

Finally Lydia made it to the ground level, giving herself a little pat on the back for doing that. Alex looked at the elevator and made her way towards it. "Hold on!" Dana called out to her. "It's probably broken down. We should look for another way."

"Yeah, you really should," I called out, finally revealing myself to them. I casually walked to the middle of the room, watching as Alex's face twisted into a sneer.

"Well, if it isn't our good friend _Carter_," she said, spitting out my name like it was bad sushi. She sauntered up over to me like she had all the time in the world. For an instant, I saw something flash into her eyes. Was it fear? She was certainly dealing with a new me here. I gave her a confident smile that made her sneer fade just a little bit.

"How's life in France?" Alex asked almost pleasantly, like we were friends catching up on old times. I shrugged. "It's fine, actually. I don't have to deal with catty bitches like you every day, which is a definite plus."

Dana and Lydia snickered behind Alex. She shot them a scathing look before turning back to me. "A few months away from home and it's like you're a new person. Well, you know what?"

"I really don't care what you have to say, Alex," I told her simply. "In fact, no one really cares. No one cares that you're parents give you a huge allowance. No one cares that you have the latest Gucci purse." Alex's mouth dropped open, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She tried to stop me, tried to put me in my place, but I was just getting started.

"Do you know what people say about you when you're not around? Do you? Well, they call you a bitch. They think you're a mean, selfish person who uses people because she has no idea how to make real friends. Look at your so-called friends." I pointed to Dana and Lydia, who were back by the elevator, nowhere near to help their 'friend.' "They're not going to come over here to help you. You've burned them so many times that they don't care about you anymore. If you don't like something, you take your anger out on anyone near you, no matter if their your 'friend' or not. You hate me, so you try to bully me while hiding behind your parents' money. Do you know why it never really bothered me? It's because I knew you were a sad, pathetic person who thinks she can get away with anything by throwing money at the right people. I'm telling you that's not true. You will never get anywhere in life, Alex, because you're a spoiled rotten little girl." I stood there, out of breath, as Alex's eyes bugged out and she gritted her teeth.

And then she did something I didn't expect: she tried to slap me. I caught her hand and gripped it, making her wince in pain. "So when your insults don't work, you try to physically hurt me? And you think I'll let you do that?" I shook my head. "That's just sad. You have absolutely no idea how the real world works."

I heard footsteps behind Alex. We both looked at Dana and Lydia, who were walking towards the rope. But not before Dana told Alex, "About time someone told you the truth." "Yeah!" Lydia chimed in. "When your angry at someone, you take it out on us. You don't even treat us like we're your friends! We're just slaves to you!"

"We're done with you." And with that, Dana helped Lydia get out of the factory. I let go of Alex, who didn't try to slap me again. She just stood there, gaping at her ex-friends. I slowly backed away, but then she reared her ugly glare at me. "This is all your fault!" she accused, pointing a finger at me.

I sighed. She just couldn't handle the truth. "No, it's your fault. It's about time you try living in my shoes." I turned my back on her, leaving her to deal with the future on her own.

* * *

><p><em>Like I said before, I think I did the confrontation scene pretty well. I just imagined what my old bullies would do if I confronted them about all the hell they put me through, and this is the result.<em>

_Tell me what you think._


	42. Extra Chapter 3: Odd Meets Henry

Extra Chapter #3: Odd Meets Henry

_I haven't done an extra chapter in, what, half a year? I think it's time for another one._

* * *

><p>Since most of the gang was leaving the country at the same airport, we decided to go to there together. Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy had to stay behind, which meant less people around to control Odd.<p>

"You can't bring Kiwi with you on the plane," I scolded Odd as he tried to hide his dog in his bag. "I did when I took him here to France, and I can do it again out of France," Odd proclaimed as we neared customs. "Is he serious?" I heard Devlin whisper to Ulrich behind us. "I think so," he whispered back.

I began to worry about Odd as we went to the front of the line. We took off our shoes and went through the metal doorway, with Odd at the rear. Obviously the line stopped when the customs officers saw what was in the purple backpack.

"But I have to take him with me!" Odd was pleading with the officers. Devlin, Ulrich, and I watched as some other officers directed the people behind Odd to another line from the other side of the metal gate. We had already gathered our things and were putting our shoes back on at this point.

We decided to wait for him on the uncomfortable metal chairs near customs. I took out my phone and began to text my uncle. _Where are you? _He answered back a few minutes later with: _Just got out of the plane. Where are you? _

_Still at customs. _I typed out my location and sent it. Uncle Henry answered back with a _Meet you there._

"So your uncle is going to pick you up?" Ulrich asked when he saw me smile. It had been ages since I had last seen him; I was looking forward to our meeting. "Yeah, he's coming over here right now," I said happily.

"Wait, is it safe for me to meet him?" Devlin asked suddenly. My eyes widened; I hadn't even thought of that! "Have you ever met Henry?" I asked.

Devlin thought for a moment. "I don't think so. He might have seen me once, maybe in my pod. We've never talked before." "So in other words, you don't know if he'll recognize you," Ulrich shortened for us, looking grim. "Even if he does, I don't think he'll put two and two together," Devlin said hopefully. "As far as I know, it's been ages since he's visited the project."

"We'll just say you're a friend from school then," I said as cheerfully as I could. Inside, I was totally freaking out. I knew I was probably going to have to introduce my friends to my uncle, but I completely forgot about the project. How did_ that_ escape me?

"Carter?" I heard someone call out my name. I stood up and looked around to see my uncle with his carry-on luggage in one hand and his backpack on one shoulder. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He had gotten a tan since I last saw him, and he looked like he had been working out. He hadn't bothered to whiten his teeth like all the other Californians, and his black military-styled hair clashed with the giant grin on his face.

Totally forgetting my friends and luggage, I ran up to him and nearly tackled him to the ground due to my hug. For a minute, I completely forgot about how he gave me over to the project due to grief and lies. It wasn't his fault that it had happened; besides, he did try to make up for it by giving me a normal life.

After the hug, he looked at me and said, "It's like I haven't seen you in years." "It's only been a couple months," I said dismissively. I tugged him over to my friends. "There are some people I want you to meet."

Ulrich and Devlin immediately stood up when they saw my uncle. "Let me guess. You must be Ulrich," Uncle Henry said to the brunette as he shook his hand. "And you must be Devlin." He turned to the boy and shook his hand as well. If he recognized Devlin, he didn't show it.

"I wish you could meet Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremy," I said wistfully. "You would have loved them." "I probably would have," my uncle said with one of his usual grins. His jovial face turned to confusion as he looked back at the customs check. "Is that a _dog_?" We all turned to see Odd trying to control a frisky Kiwi. Some workers held a large kennel just for Kiwi, but I guess even that was enough to freak him out. After a few minutes, Kiwi was safe in the kennel and Odd was finally ready to leave the customs check.

"They're actually going to let you take Kiwi with you?" Devlin asked in total wonderment. Odd gave him a wink. "I told you, I've done this before." Then he saw the adult with us and his triumphant grin melted off his face. "Is this-" Odd turned to me.

I stared at the two of them meekly. After hearing Odd's comment, Henry's face had turned stony. "Uncle Henry, this is Odd, my boyfriend." They stared at each other for a moment, before my uncle finally lifted his hand. Odd shook it as best he could, but I could see the drop of sweat rolling down his temple.

"So, do you often break the rules for your own amusement?" my uncle said rather coldly. Odd shook his head vigorously. "N-no sir; it's just that I can't leave my dog behind. He'd miss me too much."

Uncle Henry nodded like he understood. I didn't want this tense atmosphere to go on, so I asked my uncle, "Can we talk over there?" I gestured towards a nearly empty terminal. I pulled him away without even waiting for an answer.

"Are you trying to scare Odd away?" I demanded to know as soon as we were out of earshot. My uncle held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm your guardian. It's my job."

"Well, stop!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because." And with that, Uncle Henry turned away to collect my luggage. I stayed there for a second in disbelief before following him. I had to stop him from doing any more damage.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of debating, we decided to go to my terminal first, seeing as my plane would be the first to leave. As soon as we got there, Uncle Henry started grilling Odd.<p>

"What's your favorite subject?"

"Art."

"What do you do for fun?"

"Hang around town with my friends."

"What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know yet."

"Oh, God," I moaned as I put my head in my hands. "Your uncle really doesn't like Odd," Devlin said slowly as he and Ulrich watched the exchange from their seats.

"Either that, or he's trying to intimidate him," Ulrich said almost wisely. "It's working," Devlin agreed.

"Wait, what do you mean intimidate?" I asked Ulrich.

"He's trying to make sure Odd doesn't try anything even when he's not around."

"...Oh."

And then the announcement for my the plane sounded through the airport. The three of us watched as my uncle shook Odd's hand and pat Kiwi on the head. He said goodbye to Devlin and Ulrich, who, along with Odd, had to leave.

"Try to remember to have fun over vacation," I told Ulrich as a parting. "Trust me, I will," he said as we hugged. I turned to Devlin. "Make sure he studies, will you?" "I'm being paid to tutor him. Of course I'll make him study!" He pulled me into a hug with that line.

Under the scrutiny of Uncle Henry, I was able to hug Odd, though it was kind of awkward. "I'm scared of your uncle," he whispered to me. "I don't blame you," I told him quietly.

* * *

><p>We were on the airplane, and we were relaxing in our seats. Or we tried, seeing as airplane seats are uncomfortable no matter the airline. "So what did Odd tell you earlier?" uncle Henry asked me suddenly, making me glare at him. "Can't a girl have a few secrets?"<p>

"Can't an uncle be naturally curious?" He was giving me that innocent look.

I huffed, but relented. "He told me you scared him."

Uncle Henry relaxed back into his seat. "He should be."

* * *

><p><em>I am perfectly content with this chapter. I don't know about you guys, though. What do you think of it?<em>


	43. Chapter 40: Includes Bonus Chapter

Chapter 40: Includes Bonus Story

_Because I was lazy and lacking in the imagination department, I included a bonus story at the end of the chapter. It's in Ulrich's point of view, so it should be a nice change of pace._

* * *

><p>I was nursing my bruises when the cab pulled up to Kadic Academy. Switzerland had been great if you didn't include the skiing part. I had no talent for the winter sport- my sore ass spoke for me. I thought that maybe snowboarding would be better, and the instructor uncle Henry hired said I was good, but that was after I had run myself over with my own snowboard.<p>

Yeah. That was a special talent.

After I took out my bags, I walked through the gates for the first time in two weeks. It had been pretty peaceful: no scientists attacking, no XANA trying to destroy the factory. It had been far too peaceful for my tastes, and I figured XANA was planning something big. I tried not to think about during my vacation.

I said hi to acquaintances I hadn't talked to in a while and made my way to the dorms. I was hoping to see everyone there so I could give them their presents. We had decided to save the gift exchange for after the holidays, and those presents have been hiding in my armoire for a long time.

Aelita wasn't in our dorm room when I got there. Strange; I thought she would have been back from Yumi's by now. It was too early to tell though. If she wasn't here by lunch, then I would worry.

I was in the middle of unpacking when I heard the doorknob turn. In came Aelita with her pink steam punk goggles in her matching hair. "Aelita!" I cried, throwing my arms out. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too," Aelita said cheerfully as we hugged. "How was Switzerland?" she asked when we broke apart.

"I suck at winter sports. How was Christmas at Yumi's place?"

Aelita moved her bags over to her bed. "Well, I helped Mrs. Ishiyama with cleaning and with cooking dinner, I had to learn how to use chopsticks, which let me tell you, was much harder than it looks, and I learned how to play _go_ from Mr. Ishiyama."

"Sounds like you had a blast," I commented as I moved towards my armoire. "Have you seen the rest of the gang yet? And didn't Yumi come with you?"

"Yumi went to see it Jeremy and the rest of the guys came back. I don't really see what's the hold up." Aelita cocked her head towards the door, looking kind of concerned.

"In that case, we should just check for ourselves," I said, getting out a flat, rectangular box with pink wrapping paper and a hot pink bow on it. "But first…"

Aelita's eyes widened. "Carter, you shouldn't have!"

"Oh, but I did!" I handed her the box. She opened it slowly, trying to save the wrapping paper (I knew she would love it). When she finally uncovered what was inside, she held it up: a pair of fuzzy pink earmuffs with a single heart on each ear. "I love it!" Aelita cried as she put on her gift. "Let me get yours!" She scrambled to her own armoire and handed me a green bag with a Santa hat print on it. Inside was a pair of soft, black fingerless gloves. I immediately jammed them on. "Why didn't you give me these before Christmas?" I fake pouted as I held out my arms. We hugged again, and I whispered a thank you into Aelita's ear.

"Come on, let's go meet up with the gang," I said, heading towards the door. "Wait!" Aelita pawed through her backpack and revealed a folded up black trash bag. "For our gifts," she explained.

"Why did you have that in your backpack?"

"I was going to use it for laundry." Good enough for me. I grabbed the rest of my presents and gently put them in the bag. Aelita did the same, and I hoisted the filled bag over my shoulder.

Aelita looked me over. "It's missing something." She walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. She produced her very own Santa hat, with a black fake fur trim and a little black pompom at the end of it. Aelita put it on my head. "Perfect," she said, looking pleased with herself.

"Saint Carter has a few late presents to give," I said, going along with it. We walked out of our room and down the stairs to Ulrich and Odd's room, where hopefully Yumi was. Seriously, where was she?

Aelita knocked on the door. There was some scuffling, and when Ulrich finally opened the door, he looked flustered. I barged in anyway. "Saint Carter is the house!"

"Well there goes that idea," Yumi deadpanned, and I surveyed the room. Yumi was on Ulrich's bed, scratching Kiwi's head, and Devlin and Jeremy were trying to hide someone in an armoire. I then realized that Odd was missing. "Odd, come out of there," Aelita ordered him, and Devlin and Jeremy opened the doors.

Odd was in a Santa costume, with the huge gut and beard and everything. He was holding an ornate red bag behind him- our presents. "Dude, you went all out!" I said approvingly. It was way better than my costume.

Odd climbed out of the closet and said, "Yeah, I'm trying to bring back the jolly fat man look. Do you think it'll work?" He struck a pose, and I snorted.

"Yeah…no."

"Thanks for the support," Odd grumbled mockingly as he set down the bag. He quickly took the stuffing out of his suit and took off his beard. "Man, that's itchy," he complained as he set them on his bed.

"But I do think its present time, don't you agree?" Devlin said, breaking the silence. "Why not?" I put down the bag and started handing out gifts. "Jeremy, from Aelita," I announced the first gift. Jeremy stepped up to the plate nervously as I handed him the box. Odd got into it as well, and the exchange was over in minutes.

I got an awesome haul this year: Not only did I get a new Beatles band T-shirt from my uncle, Ulrich got me a black beanie (how'd he know I wanted one?), a Holly Black book from Jeremy, a bracelet from Yumi, a new phone cover from Devlin, and from Odd…

"Bubble wrap?" I held up the stuff and looked at him. Odd had given everyone strange gifts this year: Aelita, a rubber ducky; Ulrich, one of those bendy pencils; Yumi, a slingshot; Jeremy, some fuzzy car dice; Devlin, a teddy bear. Odd just shrugged when we looked at him. "Why not?"

I couldn't argue with that logic.

Devlin started squealing then. "You got me a Pink Floyd T-shirt?" he cried, holding it up. Then he flew over to I was and tackled me with a hug.

Everyone else seemed to like my gifts: Aelita was still wearing her earmuffs, only around her neck, Jeremy was reading the back of the sci-fi novel I got him, Ulrich was fiddling with his new alarm clock, Yumi was stroking the pretty black sweater I gave her (I had to coax her to open all of her presents; something about a Japanese custom), Devlin was playing with his new graphing calculator, and Odd had a tan leather bracelet around his wrist. Kiwi was also gnawing happily on the dog treats I got him.

Wrapping paper littered the floor, and the two beds became havens for presents. I popped a bubble on the bubble wrap. Despite myself, I let out an immature giggle.

"Aha! I knew I got you the perfect gift!" Odd cried triumphantly. I grinned at him, but inside I was kind of hurting. Don't get me wrong; bubble wrap's freaking awesome. But I spent a lot of time searching for that bracelet for him, and all I get is bubble wrap? What's up with that?

I didn't have time to ponder that, for Odd's stomach began to grumble. I looked at the clock-lunch time. "Come on, guys, let's clean up," Jeremy ordered us, and we got on our hands and knees to collect the wrapping paper. Aelita had been smart about that trash bag.

Ten minutes later, Yumi was following Aelita and I back to my room. Yumi wouldn't have to go home for lunch, so she was going to stash her presents in our room for the time being.

"Stop faking your okay," Yumi told me suddenly. The stoic demeanor I was trying to project crumbled. When we got to the dorm room, I dumped my stuff on my bed, threw the hat on my desk, and kicked the wall.

"I spent all that time picking out his gift and all I get is _bubble wrap_?" I vented, feeling even more heartbroken that before.

"Actually…" I heard Aelita say. I turned to her. She was pulling out a gold chain from her pocket. I got a good look at it when she handed it to me. It was fake gold; probably something from China. But connected to the necklace was the Batman emblem.

"I saw it fall out of the box when we were cleaning the floor," Aelita explained. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I planned on giving it to you in private."

I just stared at the necklace, at a complete loss for words. "Come on, let's put it on you," Yumi said, gently prying the necklace out of my hands. She looped it around my neck and closed the lock. It didn't look right with my closed neck t-shirt, but right then, I didn't care.

"Come on, let's go to lunch," Aelita said, leading the way. When we met the guys outside, Odd-out of his red suit, thank God- immediately spied the Batman logo on my chest, and a knowing smile spread across his face. As we walked to the cafeteria, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I squeezed back, and it made everything all right.

* * *

><p>Extra Chapter #4: Ulrich's Turmoil<p>

**Three Days Before Break**

Ulrich was doing some last minute window shopping before the holidays. He loved Paris at this time of year: despite the lack of snow, kids were clustered around shop windows, ogling the dolls and toy trains and sweet pastries that Ulrich had come to love. Of course, it could never compare to Germany at Christmas time, but it was a close second.

He was almost done with his gift shopping. For Odd, he had gotten something goofy- a toy banana phone. Recently his roommate put on that song to get some diversity from the Christmas carols that had taken over the radio stations, and now it was stuck in Ulrich's head. It only seemed fitting.

Ulrich didn't really know what to give Devlin and Jeremy. What did you give to geniuses at Christmas time? He finally decided on a ACDC CD for Devlin (he had seen all the posters) and a blue pillow with the words "Sweet Dreams" for Jeremy. If the Lyoko Warriors couldn't convince Jeremy to sleep more often, hopefully the pillow would.

Girls were another matter entirely. Ulrich would forever be puzzled over the mystery that was women. At least Carter and Aelita were easy: Carter was going on a trip to the Alps for break, and Aelita was happy with anything. For Carter, Ulrich had gotten a simple black beanie hat-even if they decided to exchange gifts after break, it would still be a nice touch for later weather. He got Aelita a feathery red scarf for the winter cold. She already had a pink scarf, but girls liked diversity in their wardrobes, right?

Yumi was the hardest of all. Ulrich had an idea, but it might ruin the friendship the two of them had tried so hard to maintain. So Ulrich opted for a totally safe choker. It was made out of black lace so it wouldn't bother Yumi when she wore it, and it had a purple flower design on it. Ulrich thought it would look pretty on her.

But one thing still kept haunting him, even after he had gotten Yumi's gift wrapped nicely. He had seen it at the same jewelry store he had bought the choker, and he had very badly wanted to buy it. It was a simple ring, nothing fancy. The band was fake gold, and the jewel was a tiny black gem made of plastic. It would have looked beautiful on Yumi's hand, Ulrich was sure of it.

But no, it would ruin everything. He had to stop thinking about it. So why couldn't he walk away from the display case?

The price taunted him- 5 euros. Reasonable, especially at this time of year. Ulrich had his wallet in his hand. It was now or never.

Ulrich paid for the ring and even got a little black box to accompany it. Ulrich rushed out of that store like he had done something wrong. Why had he bought it? He should just turn right back on his heels and return it.

But… he didn't. He knew why, but he didn't want to admit it. Yumi's friendship was too important to him. Ulrich couldn't bear to lose it.

But just in case things changed…

* * *

><p><em>Just a cute little chapter around some love lives. And if you didn't like it, don't worry, we'll be right back to drama and action soon enough. Just hang on till then.<em>

_And remember to review, will you?_


	44. Chapter 41: Flying Fish

Chapter 41: Flying Fish

"Today's your birthday?" I asked Yumi. We were in the library doing homework, me with French grammar and her with English. She had to do a five-paragraph essay all in the English language and, well, it needed some work.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I continued quietly, since the librarian was giving me the stink eye. "I could have gotten you a present."

"My birthday's right after Christmas. Besides, you got me that really awesome sweater. But the thought still counts." Yumi gave me a wink and I smiled. I pointed to her essay and said, "You have some trouble with past and present tense…"

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later<strong>

It was breakfast time at the mess hall, and Jeremy had some big news. I wondered what it was, but I had to wait until the three geniuses finally got out of the breakfast line. When they walked over, I said, "So what's the big news?"

"I figured you would be impatient," Devlin joked as he took his seat. "Not impatient, just curious," I corrected him as I took a bite out of my breakfast.

"I found it," Jeremy interrupted triumphantly. "What, a way to bulk up your muscles without exercising?" Odd asked, trying to hide his smile by sipping his cup of coffee.

"Funny. No, I found a way to materialize you onto Earth from the network." Jeremy picked up his croissant. "It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. I used the blue prints our friend back at the project gave us and took it from there. I synchronized the simplicity principle to the supercomputer's apparatus, and I used it to develop a kind of energizing projection."

Jeremy took a bite out of his meal. While he was chewing, Odd tried to simplify what he had just said. "In English, then, you now know how to send us somewhere directly on Earth from the inside the network, right?"

"Exactly," Jeremy said, pleased that he didn't have to explain anything. Ulrich looked at Odd, amazed. "You actually understood what Einstein was babbling about?"

"Well, yeah," Odd said happily. "After all this time, I'm finally getting the hang of all this swamptum physics."

"Quantum physics," Aelita corrected him.

"Well, yeah, but it's still muddy though."

"Hold up," Ulrich said. "That means you can now send us anywhere from the Skid?"

"Not anywhere at all," Jeremy explained, "but I can do it in the vicinity of a supercomputer generating a copy. It's what I call teleportation."

* * *

><p>Jeremy, Aelita, and Devlin still had some work to do in regards to teleportation, so after breakfast, we went our separate ways until tonight, when we could test it out. I was with Odd and Ulrich, and we were walking out of the mess hall when we saw Yumi. She had been talking to Jeremy, and she must have been as excited as I was about blowing up a supercomputer.<p>

She was smiling until Ulrich walked up to her. "Uh, Yumi, there was something I wanted to ask you." She glared at him right before walking away. I stood beside Odd on the mess hall steps, flinching at Yumi's cold behavior.

"That was about as cold as the North Pole!" Odd commented. "What'd you do to deserve that?" "I have no idea," Ulrich answered, just as confused as we were. "The cold shoulder started day before yesterday."

My eyes widened. "Her birthday was the day before yesterday." I looked at him. "You _did_ wish her a happy birthday, right?" "You know how important things like that are to her," Odd added as Ulrich's face went from confusion to panic.

"Oh, no! I totally forgot! I bet now she's going to hate me for weeks!"

"Probably," Odd shrugged. "At least, unless you buy her a nice present to make up for it." I rolled my eyes, knowing that it was probably true.

"I'll go right now!" Ulrich said, relieved. Then he looked crestfallen. "Or, I would if I could." "Why can't you go right now?" I asked.

"I'm in trouble with Jim."

"…What did you do to him?"

"He thinks I threw a fish at him."

Tears leaked out of Odd's eyes as he howled with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Ulrich grumbled.

"B-believe me, I will!"

"But now I have four hours of detention, and then Chardan's class…"

"No sweat." Odd stood up confidently. "I gotta pick up a few things for Kiwi. While I'm at it, I'll buy a little present for Yumi." "And I'll make sure whatever he buys will be appropriate for Yumi," I said to reassure Ulrich.

"R-really, you guys would do that for me?" Ulrich said, a thank you evident in his voice.

"Yeah, sure." Odd put a hand on Ulrich's shoulder. "Besides, I owe you one. In case you didn't know the flying fish thing was me."

"IT WAS?" Ulrich and I roared at him, Ulrich grabbing fistfuls of Odd's sweatshirt. "And you let me take the blame?"

"I-I was laughing too hard to tell Jim!" Like that made everything better.

"I oughta-" But whatever Ulrich wanted to say was lost when the bell rang, signaling first period. Saved by the bell, Odd ducked out Ulrich's grasp and casually walked away, leaving Ulrich to sulk. I looked at him apologetically and ran to catch up to Odd. "That was a really mean thing to do, you know," I told him, talking about the prank.

Odd shrugged. "True, but I'm making up for it, aren't I?"

* * *

><p>I was with Odd at the pet store during Kadic lunch hours. We had to get back soon, and Odd was taking forever with buying dog food. "Come on, we don't have all day!"<p>

"You know, you didn't have to come with me," Odd pointed out as he selected the food for Kiwi. "You can't afford to get another detention, right?"

He actually remembered that? "Yeah, but Ulrich can't afford to get Yumi mad at him. I have to make sure you don't mess it up."

"It hurts that you have so little faith in me."

"You would too, if I was the one who threw a fish a Jim."

Odd ignored me. Carter: one, Odd: zero.

A few minutes later we were out of the pet store. A girly shop was conveniently located down the street, so we headed down there. The store was about to close for lunch, but we somehow convinced the clerks to let us in because it was an emergency. Knowing we had to be quick, we selected a cheap but very pretty necklace. It had a black chain with green circular charm on it with the words _Amitié et L'amour (Friendship and Love) _inscribed on the back. I paid for it on the promise that Odd would buy lunch.

Of course, he chose a convenience store. Not that I was complaining. Who doesn't love Doritos with soda?

* * *

><p>It was nighttime now, and we were at the factory. Before I went down the ropes to join Devlin and the others, I watched as Odd gave Ulrich a wrapped present. "What is it?" he asked curiously.<p>

"I really nice necklace," I told him before I grabbed the rope. "I think Yumi'll go for it." I could see the others waiting for us, so I climbed down the rope as fast as I could.

Odd and Ulrich were still up there, so Jeremy called out to them, "Hey, guys, don't you remember we have a really important mission we have to do?"

"Hey, we're not factory workers here!" Odd called out defensively.

I could hear Ulrich say, "Technically, we are."

* * *

><p>"Energize!"<p>

Once again I had to close my eyes to the white light from under me (I was seriously getting tired of this) and when I opened them, I was in my Nav Skid. I relaxed and waited as Aelita, Devlin, and Jeremy got us out of port and into the Digital Sea.

"Replika, here we go again!" That was Odd, being a clown again.

"Can't someone shut him up?" I think Ulrich was talking about me, but if I couldn't calm Odd down on a normal day, what made him think I could do it now?

"Why?" Yumi asked Ulrich. "At least he's nice."

"Incredible!" Odd remarked. "They're talking to each other!"

"Shut up, Odd!"

* * *

><p>We were now in the Replika, the world XANA created. "Oh, no," Jeremy said. "There's an activated tower on the Replika."<p>

"That must mean XANA's causing trouble with the supercomputer we're looking for," Devlin said seriously. "But what?"

"Well," Jeremy began, "if we wanna know, we gotta-"

"Hey, Einstein," Ulrich interrupted. "Why don't we try that teleportation thing a try? Just to be sure, once and for all."

"That's what I was going to suggest," Jeremy huffed. "But first, you're going to have to moor the Skid to the tower. There's one not far from where you are, at three o'clock."

"I see, it Jeremy," Aelita said, steering us towards it. From my Nav Skid, I couldn't see it, even when I turned my head in the same direction Aelita was steering us.

"It looks good," Aelita continued. "I should be able to secure the Skid to it safely."

"Gently, though," Jeremy reminded her. "A little to the left…be careful!"

"Back seat driving again!" Odd called him out. "Better cut it out."

"Oh, uh, sorry, Aelita," Jeremy backtracked. "I know you can do it without me." As if to prove it, Aelita successfully moored us to the tower without Jeremy or Devlin's help. I could see the tower turn from neutral white to Jeremy green as Einstein secured the tower for us.

"You guys ready to teleport?" Devlin asked us.

"Do you even have to ask?" I told him, a smirk on my face.

And Jeremy said, "Teleportation!" I waited patiently, but then Ulrich said, "It didn't work, Jeremy! I'm still here!"

"I forgot to tell you," Jeremy said slowly, "that this time I'm only going to energize Aelita and Odd. I'd rather you stay with Yumi, Carter, and Devlin to protect the Skid. If it's anything like our last experiment, XANA'll be sending you a welcoming committee in no time flat."

Jeremy energized us out of the Skid, and Yumi immediately started to walk away from Ulrich. "Yumi, can't we make up?" he was saying as they walked away from the mother ship. "Shouldn't we stop them?" I asked Devlin. He shrugged. "Let them make up on their own." We stayed behind, right in front of the Skid and the tower on guard duty.

We almost didn't notice them getting attacked. I heard Ulrich cry out in shock and immediately drew my daggers when I saw the tarantulas. "Don't!" Devlin warned me. "We have to stay by the Skid. Besides, Ulrich and Yumi can take care of themselves."

I then heard the XANAfied voice of William egging his personal tarantula faster to us. "Of course," I muttered under my breath. Devlin got out his twin guns and aimed at William. When he got a bit closer, he took a shot, only to have William dodge.

"Remember, if the Skid gets disconnected to the tower, its game over for Aelita and Odd," Jeremy reminded us. "Don't worry," I heard Yumi say as Jeremy materialized the Overwing and Overbike. "We'll make life hell for the enemy."

As Ulrich drew his saber, William launched himself from the tarantula and nearly behead Ulrich on his bike. Ulrich dodged, and swerved behind a tree. I left Devlin to take care of the tarantula.

I threw a dagger at William, only to have him knock it aside. I stepped aside as a blue laser shot at William's tarantula, destroying it (thanks, Devlin!). I used telekinesis to get my dagger back, and Ulrich called to me, "Go help Yumi! I got it!" I looked at Ulrich's face and decided that it was probably for the best.

But Yumi didn't need my help; one shot with her tessen fans and the tarantula was gone. When I turned back to Ulrich, I saw William thrust Zweihander into him, devirtualizing him.

Devlin was running up to him, shooting at William as effectively as he could. Yumi was already riding towards him on her Overwing, so I turned back to the Skid to see a third and forgotten tarantula shooting at the ship. I ran towards it, my daggers at the ready.

When it wasn't shooting at the Skid, it was shooting at me. I ran up to it as fast as I could and threw both of my daggers in the tarantula's XANA eye. It exploded, and I used telekinesis to get my weapons back.

When I turned back, Devlin had been devirtualized. Yumi was still too far away. I had to do _something_. I ran towards William, forcing myself to go faster than ever. When I got near William, I threw a dagger at him, only to have him destroy it with Zweihander. With only one dagger, I could only be used as a distraction.

William swung his sword at me, and I used my shield to deflect it. Nevertheless, the silver disk cracked and pixilated, leaving me with only one weapon. In a last ditch effort, I plunged my dagger deep into William's shoulder, leaving me wide open for him to use Zweihander. With one slash, I was gone.

* * *

><p>When I got out of the scanner, the mission had been aborted. Odd and Aelita had been to slow to destroy the supercomputer in the Amazon rainforest, and Yumi had been no match for William. Luckily Aelita had been able to get the Skid out of there without taking it up too much damage. We would have to try again some other time. For now, it was back to bed.<p>

As we were walking out of the factory, I asked Odd, "Did Ulrich ever give Yumi her present?" "I think he's giving it to her now," he answered. I didn't look back to check. I didn't want to embarrass the two of them.

* * *

><p><em>I used Google translate for the necklace. It should be fifty percent accurate.<em>


	45. Chapter 42: Gambling Season

Chapter 42: Gambling Season

_I want it on record that I do not condone gambling. I am, however, okay with innocent little bets. There's a difference._

* * *

><p>"So you're saying we should use the system to trash the lab in San Diego?" I asked Devlin. We were outside the mess hall just after dinner, and kids were filing out slowly. I ignored the funny looks I was getting from the other students. What, I couldn't talk to another guy without Odd around?<p>

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Devlin said. "Of course, I think getting rid of the XANAfied supercomputers is more important, so I think we should talk about it later."

I nodded. "But the others might want to destroy the project now, just to get it out of the way." Devlin shrugged. "If it comes to that, we'll do it then. Until that happens, destroying XANA is our first priority."

* * *

><p>Vivian was waking up inside the pod, disoriented and a bit confused. Was this how the subjects felt when getting devirtualized? It was simply an awful feeling.<p>

Nevertheless, Vivian was ecstatic. She had been the first successful adult to be virtualized onto the virtual world, and it meant wonders for the project and its investors. Of course, since this was the first time a grownup had gone to this Lyoko, it had been a test run, just to get a feel of the place. After some rest and some more tests Vivian would go back.

The Lyoko brats wouldn't see it coming.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day<strong>

"One, run; two, jump onto the spring board;three, push off of the horse; four, pipe vault; and five, feet together on the mat. You got that?" Jim was asking us. It was PE class in the gymnasium this time, and we had to do some balance exercise.

Herve raised a hand. "Uh, no, Jim, I didn't get it. So, would you mind giving us a demonstration?"

Jim shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing to it. Only a halfwit couldn't manage it." Jim faced off against the balance 'horse', ready to run at it. He took a deep breath and ran to it, trying to use the same technique he told us to use.

"One, two…" Odd began to count, since this was Jim we were talking about. As if on some imaginary cue, Jim cried out as he fell of the 'horse', and groaned as he realized that he had landed precariously on his head.

"Wow. He got to five without getting to four," Odd joked, which made the entire class laugh. Even I had to chuckle a bit at Jim's expense.

"Think it's so funny, Pichon?" Jim scolded Herve as he got up from his uncomfortable position. "Let's see you try it. And don't forget those five golden rules."

"Does he mean the rules that he couldn't do?" Devlin whispered in my ear. I sniggered at that. We all watched as wimpy Herve slouched towards the starting point, only to trip over his own shoes as he began to run. He did a front flip in midair, bounced off the spring board, flew through the air again, and finally landed on his butt on the other side of the 'horse'. Everyone laughed, though I thought I heard Jeremy laughing the loudest.

"That horse should be in the rodeo!" Odd joked yet again, literally pointing and laughing at Herve. "Della Robbia, front and center!" Jim ordered him. "Let's see you fall flat on your face."

Odd walked up to the starting point, still laughing at his own wit. He ran, jumped onto the horsey without having to use the spring board, landed on his hands on the horse's back, showed off a bit by stretching his legs, and finally launching himself into the air and safely on his feet.

Since when could Odd do _that_?

And of course, Odd had to ruin the awesome moment. "Your right, Jim; only a halfwit couldn't manage it."

* * *

><p>Odd got four hours of detention, and still had the audacity to complain about it. He totally had it coming. I mean, the way he talked to Jim like that? As Ulrich put it, it was "obnoxious" and "pretentious."<p>

"Seriously, you're middle name should be 'braggart'," Jeremy quipped as we met up with Odd and Ulrich after PE. "I can't remember a single day where you didn't sing your own praises," Aelita reminisced, much to Odd's chagrin.

"That is so wrong!" Odd protested. "And I can prove it to you too."

"Okay, I'll bet you a week of desserts that you can't go twenty-four hours without bragging," Ulrich said, completely sure that Odd wouldn't last ten minutes.

"Whoa, man, a whole twenty four hours?" Devlin asked him. "That might be too much for him." "Oh, _it is on_!" Odd said, glaring at him. Devlin held up his hands in mock surrender.

* * *

><p>It was the evening after classes, and we were heading back to the jungle to take out that supercomputer. Odd had knocked out the energy field surrounding it last time, so it should have been a piece of cake. Of course, our hero didn't brag about it.<p>

We were back on XANA's evil version of Lyoko. The Skid was docked to the tower that Jeremy took over, and it was Yumi and Ulrich's turn to knock out the evil supercomputer. The rest of us stayed behind to protect the Skid.

"Why didn't you teleport me, Jeremy?" Odd asked in his Nav Skid. "I was the one to knock out the shield. Shouldn't I have the honor of taking it all out?"

"Everyone should have a piece of the fun, Odd," Jeremy said with humor in his voice.

"And unless you want to eat humble pie for a week, I suggest you cut down on the bragging, O Great One," Aelita said, which made Odd pout.

After a few minutes of waiting, Devlin called out, "Hey, J-man, can you hear us? Everything okay on the other side?"

"Uh, yeah, just a little problem, no sweat," Jeremy said anxiously. Who was he trying to kid?

"You sure?" Odd asked. "Because I would love to help Ulrich and Yumi. Modestly, of course."

"Sorry Odd, but you have your work cut out for you already," Jeremy told him. "I just spotted an activated tower."

"We're on it, Einstein," I said reassuringly. Aelita phased us out of the ship-or as she called it, 'disembark'- and we were on virtual dry land in a matter of seconds.

"Jeremy, could you please send us our vehicles?" Odd asked impatiently just as Jeremy virtualized Odd's Overboard and Ulrich's Overbike.

"You were saying, Odd?"

"Oh, bloody hell," Devlin swore. He pointed to the right, where William and three hornets were heading our way. "Should Aelita and I head for the tower while Carter and Odd take these guys out?" he asked Jeremy as calmly as he could in the face of danger.

"That's probably for the best," Jeremy agreed. "Carter's the only one besides Ulrich to even stand a chance of defeating William."

"I had help," I protested, since my recent track record with fighting William was pretty bad.

"Don't worry, you got me," Odd said, patting me on the shoulder. "Three laser arrows and one epic sword fight will be enough to take these bozos out."

"Pompous, yet you're bragging about someone else's skills for once," Devlin noted. "You might actually win the bet." Odd threw his fist in the air in triumph. "It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet," he reminded him.

Devlin hopped on the Overbike with Aelita in tow. "Don't get yourselves killed now," Aelita warned us sweetly before Devlin drove off. "Did that sound weird to you?" I asked Odd, who shrugged.

We couldn't dwell on Aelita's parting words, since a hornet shot at us. Odd threw up his purple shield. "Good thing I was here, huh?" he said in what he thought was modesty. I rolled my eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself."

"I know. But it would be a good idea to make sure you have enough life points to take on William."

"Good idea. Think you can take out the hornets?"

"Pfft. Can I take out the hornets." Odd then jumped onto his Overboard and flew into the air, firing a laser arrow at the nearest hornet, devirtualizing it easily. "This way, kiddies!" he jeered to the remaining hornets. He led them away so I could take out William without interference.

A split second later, our blades clashed. I whirled around and tried to stab William in the side; he parried me and knocked me aside. As I skidded to the ground, William aimed his huge sword at the Skid. He must have figured that if Aelita deactivated the tower, XANA could still have a victory and take out a chunk of our team.

At the thought of XANA winning anything, I began to see violet.

I threw my daggers at William's back, and they both lodged into it. He cried out in pain and foolishly dropped his sword. I made a grab for it, and lifted it over my head. It was far too heavy for me, even when I was like this, so I had to be quick.

I slammed the blade on William's head, but he had turned into black smoke and escaped, leaving my daggers behind. Zweihander felt unusually light in my hands, and when I looked, it too turned to smoke and vanished.

Since William was no longer an outlet for my anger, I had to count to ten three times to quell my thirst for blood.

"Carter, can you fly?" Jeremy asked me quickly. "What do you mean?" I asked back.

"The Replika is disappearing. Get air born, quick!"

I willed my black demon wings to appear just as the ground disappeared. Odd came just in time to see most of it vanish.

"I take it everything's okay now," I asked him as I flapped my wings. I didn't care how much I used them on the Wasteland. They still felt weird to me. Odd was eyeing me suspiciously, like I might stab him in the neck like I did with Yumi. I didn't have enough time to get my daggers before the ground vanished, so there was nothing to worry about.

And in no time flat, the Replika began to regenerate, the ground appearing again. I landed in the forest sector and willed my wings to vanish. Odd hopped off his Overboard flamboyantly and asked, "Hey, Jeremy, is the Replika supposed to be regenerating?"

"No, it's not," Jeremy told us. "There was a backup generator for the supercomputer. We have to take that out and there's practically no time!"

A moment later, he said, "Okay, Aelita just deactivated the tower. She and Devlin had to deal with a few bloks and hornets, but their heading back now. I assume William will be back to take out the Skid, so stay put."

Jeremy must have been psychic, because William came back with a vengeance. Without even a hello, he slammed Zweihander at me. I dodged out of the way, but as I looked at the scene, I saw the scar William's sword had left on the ground. I would have to be careful.

As Odd and I circled William, the possessed pretty boy heaved his sword in the air. "For XANA!" he cried as he tried to slice Odd in half. Odd dodged the blade and ducked under William's legs like a cat. "For me!" he cried as he punched William in the chin, sending him a few feet away from us. "Stings, doesn't it?" Odd asked him as William nursed his jaw.

I high fived Odd. "Not bad." He shrugged. "The fight's not over yet." "Jeremy, could you virtualize my weapons?" I asked the boy genius. "I'm on it," he answered back.

Unfortunately, William heard me and tried to use his super smoke attack on me. Odd got in front of me and shot a couple of laser arrows at the black smoke, only to have William get behind us. We both repeatedly dodged his attacks, but we were both knocked back eventually. Unfortunately, William was aiming for the Digital Sea.

We were under a cliff, Odd hanging onto it by his claws and me with my arms wrapped around his waist, hanging for dear life. Odd whistled to William, and when he was in sight, he shot a laser arrow at him, turning him into smoke and sending him packing. When I couldn't hang on much longer, I willed my wings to appear and I lifted the two of us out of there.

"Odd, did you just blow William away by yourself?" Jeremy asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yep."

"No boasting?"

"What do you think I am, a braggart?"

When we finally got to check on the Skid, we saw Ulrich and Yumi in their Nav Skids, sound asleep. "I take it they couldn't destroy the supercomputer," I said as Devlin and Aelita finally came back on the Overbike. "'bout time you got here!" Odd huffed.

"Well, we're here now," Aelita said. "What do we do know, Jeremy?"

"We have to take out the auxiliary generator. Any takers?"

"I don't want to sound pretentious, but there's me," Odd offered sheepishly. "I'll go with him," Devlin said. "I always wanted to teleport anyway."

Jeremy phased Odd and Devlin into the Skid and sent them on their way. As they teleported out of there, Aelita turned to me. "Do you think Odd really will win the bet?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, it might be a close call, but I think he can actually do it."

"I say he won't. Knowing Odd, he'll crack within an hour of victory. Want to make it interesting?"

I grinned. "Whoever's right gets ten euros."

* * *

><p>"Odd lost the bet?"I repeated, somewhat shocked. It was the next morning after Odd and Devlin destroyed the supercomputer (thus destroying the Replika), and Ulrich, Aelita, and I were at the vending machine again.<p>

"Yeah. He admitted that he loved being a braggart," Ulrich said, shaking his head. "I knew it was only a matter of time."

Aelita smirked at me as I gave her the ten euros I justly owed her. Ulrich gaped at us. "You guys had a side bet going on?"

"Yep, and thanks to Odd, I won." Aelita happily pocketed the ten bucks as Ulrich began to laugh.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, Carter, why did you have to trust Odd? I know you have to trust your boyfriend, but this is Odd we're talking about here.<em>

_This is the part where the reader reviews._


	46. Chapter 43: Puppy Dog Tails

Chapter 43: Puppy Dog Tails

"You want us to go after the white coats _now_?" I repeated what Devlin just said. We were in his room after school, so all the kids were in their rooms doing homework or studying-or in Odd's case, goofing off while their roommate tried to get some work done.

Devlin nodded. "Yeah, but not _right_ now, if you know what I mean. We can only assume that the scientists are waiting for us to destroy XANA. But…"

"You want to take them out already," I stated.

He gave me a sheepish smile. "I guess I'm a little impatient."

"I'm the same way," I admitted, "but I think we agreed that XANA's our number one priority right now." Devlin nodded. "But I think the others will suggest destroying the white coats' supercomputer immediately, and they might not understand our reasoning."

I thought for a moment. "I think they'll understand, they just won't like it."

"Knowing them, that might just be the case." Devlin looked at his alarm clock and walked towards the door. "Come on, it's almost time for dinner. And if we don't show up soon…"

I rolled my eyes. "We really should test how Odd could survive with a black hole in his stomach."

* * *

><p>The next day we had to run around the track for PE class. I was waiting for my turn with Sissi and some other students when the guys started to walk our way. Sissi immediately tried to grab Ulrich's attention-her giant crush on him never did go away- so I turned to Devlin and Jeremy.<p>

"It's quite easy for Kiwi to track Odd around here," Devlin said randomly and under his breath. I looked at him quizzically. "How so?"

"Well, Odd forgot to wear socks to gym class," Jeremy interjected, "and we were joking about his feet…" "And Kiwi somehow got out of the dorms and found Odd in the locker room, a pair of socks in his mouth," Devlin continued.

"So he literally found Odd by the smell of his feet," I said, snickering. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!" Odd said hotly, standing right next to me. "Aw, come on Odd. You have to admit it's incredible for Kiwi to do that without getting into trouble," I said. I stopped and thought for a second. "No one saw Kiwi, right?"

They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in an _I-don't-know _gesture. "No time to worry about that now," I said as I felt Jim glare at us.

Yumi was here too, and it was rare for two grades to have the same class period. Yumi was at the starting point for the track, along with the William clone. I hadn't seen him in a while.

Jim started the stopwatch and everyone ran across the track except for William clone. Jim immediately began to lay into him, much to the clone's confusion. And then Sissi began to question him, which made things worse.

"Why do you look so lost, William?" Sissi interrogated him. "I'm not lost. We're at the track, right?" William clone said, much to Sissi's confusion. "Trouble at twelve o'clock," Odd said, even though we already knew it. Even though Sissi was much nicer than she was a few months ago, she could still blow our cover.

"You should go talk to the nurse in the infirmary," Sissi advised William clone as Yumi finally walked up to them. She got in between them and said quickly, "It's nothing serious. He's just a little out of sync because… he's in love!" She hugged William clone for emphasis.

Sissi stared at them. "Wait, you two are dating?"

Yumi shrugged. "You know what they say about love. It's like getting drunk-not that William drinks, of course." Sissi was about to say something when Jim finally blew his whistle. "Tenth graders, that's it for today! Ninth graders, get on your marks!"

* * *

><p>"That was a close call with Sissi today," Yumi said seriously at the mess hall. "I don't think she really bought the love story between you and William," Aelita remarked. "Can we please upgrade the quality of William's clone?" Ulrich asked Jeremy.<p>

"Sorry," Jeremy said. "Like I said, his stupidity is an unforeseen emergent factor that's out of our control. To fix it, I would have to reprogram everything. We're just going to have to keep improvising."

"If we can," I said grimly. "I think Sissi's getting kind of suspicious. What if she tells her father about William?"

"The only solution I can see right now is to keep pretending you're in love," Devlin said half-seriously. "What!" Yumi exclaimed, voicing her displeasure. I think Ulrich even choked a little on his food.

"Perfect!" Aelita said. "If you two are always together, no one can get near him."

"You have a very vital mission," Odd said. "You have to help keep our secret safe." He knew Yumi was dutiful when it came to Lyoko missions, so this would help her see eye to eye with us. She still wasn't happy about any of this though.

"Anyway, I was able to improve the security programs for the tower that runs William's clone," Jeremy said happily. "Aelita, Devlin, would you like to help me install it after class?"

"Sure," Aelita replied. "Who's going with us?" "Do all of us have to go?" Ulrich asked. "Just two of you will be enough to help keep an eye on things," Jeremy said. "I volunteer!" Odd cried, waving his finger in the air. "And I also happen to have a fantastic idea."

"Uh-oh," Ulrich said ominously.

"What if we take Kiwi to Lyoko this time?"

"Your brainless dog?" Jeremy asked thoughtlessly. "But what for?"

"First of all, my dog is _not_ brainless," Odd said hotly. "Secondly, our natural talents are multiplied on Lyoko. Imagine Kiwi and his sense of smell. He could sniff out monsters from miles away. He might even be able to sniff out William on the network!" That last part was just wishful thinking.

"No way, Odd!" Jeremy smirked. "Besides, Kiwi's such a coward that he'd take off the second he saw a krankelet!" "Oh yeah?" Odd countered. "As fast as you went after you went onto Lyoko?"

Everyone laughed at Jeremy's expression-at least, everyone besides Devlin and me. We weren't there to witness Jeremy's first time on Lyoko, so we couldn't join in on the fun. But from what Ulrich and Odd described to me, it must have been hilarious to see Jeremy run away from a blok.

* * *

><p>It was after classes, and I was in my room catching up on some homework. As a scholarship student, I had to stay near the very top of my class to stay at Kadic. I wasn't as smart as Jeremy and Aelita and Devlin, so I had a lot of work cut out for me.<p>

I was so absorbed in my schoolwork that I almost had a heart attack when I got a call on my cell phone. "Come to Odd and Ulrich's room," Aelita told me breathlessly before hanging up. Abandoning my homework, I raced through the dorms to their room.

I walked in to see Odd taking off his pants. "What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at him.

"I think I'm growing a tail!"

* * *

><p>"You tried to bring Kiwi onto Lyoko without telling anyone?" I asked Odd incredulously. He whimpered audibly and I had to relent, at least a little.<p>

According to Doctor Jeremy, Odd had absorbed Kiwi during virtualization earlier. He would be fine for a little while, but if we didn't do something fast, it could be too late for the both of them.

We would have gone into the factory, but it looked like a biker gang took up residence there. There were only three of them, but they had motorcycles and looked big and mean.

Devlin and I could probably take them, but Jeremy wanted to do this diplomatically. The six of us walked up to them, and one of them said, "Beat it, kids!"

Jeremy walked up to them, which must have taken him a lot of guts. "Hello, gentlemen, we just wanted to go in, that's all." "I didn't see your names on the doors, so get going!" another told us.

Ulrich pulled Jeremy back. "Don't waste your breath, they have motor oil for brains. Let me handle this." Ulrich went up the leader and tried to pull a Pencak Silat move on him. Biker Dude #1 was not impressed.

And then Odd the Dog Boy tried to bite him. He landed on top of him, and Jeremy used it to his advantage. "He'll bite you, he's crazy. Crazy, I tell you!"

To drive the point home, Odd jumped off the biker and leaped over Biker Dudes #2 and 3, forcing them to stagger back. Odd then ran towards the ropes, and we ran after him. The biker dudes tried to stop us, but by then we were in the elevator.

"What do we do about them?" Ulrich asked Jeremy. "I got it!" Devlin said as Jeremy punched in the code. "Carter and I will take care of those stooges while the rest of you fix Dog Boy." The elevator began to go down.

"Oh, no you're not!" Odd protested, glaring at Devlin. He eyed him coolly. "You forget who you're talking to here."

"I have to agree with Devlin on this one," I said suddenly, forcing Odd to look at me. "We're the only ones who stand a real chance of fighting those guys. And the rest of you have to get onto Lyoko in case XANA decides to make an appearance."

"I don't like it, but we have to do it," Jeremy conceded as the elevator opened to the supercomputer room.

* * *

><p>I had to swear up and down to Odd that I wouldn't do anything stupid and reckless while dealing with the biker dudes. I had to remind him what he did to Kiwi to get him to stop ranting.<p>

Now Devlin and I were in the assembly room right behind the supercomputer room. We were slowly checking out the elevator, making sure the bikers hadn't gone down it yet. They hadn't, but they had gone down the ropes to the floor level. Somehow they also got their motorcycles down here.

"Oh, shit," I heard Devlin swear under his breath. "What's wrong?" I whispered.

"They've been XANAfied."

Crap on fire.

I willed my daggers to appear, the cool metal of the hilts comforting me. Devlin did the same with his guns. We slowly made our way out into the open, trying to sneak up the bikers.

The two of us locked eyes. We both slowly nodded. And then Devlin shot one of the bikers in the neck, knocking him out temporarily. The bullets were made out of energy, so we didn't have to worry about killing anyone.

The other bikers snarled at us, ready to attack on their bikes. But I ran up to them, daggers poised to attack. Just as they were ready to start their motorcycles, I jumped into the air, did a cartwheel, and threw my daggers at their heads. I landed behind them as I heard them cry out in pain.

I turned to see my daggers hit one of them in the head, and he was having a hard time getting it out. The other probably tried to catch the dagger in midair, and it somehow got stuck in his hand. There was no blood, thankfully, but electricity was coming out of their wounds. So _that_ was what happened when you attacked XANAfied victims. Jeremy would be very interested to hear that.

They were too busy to notice Devlin walk up to them, his trigger fingers itchy. One shot to both of their heads, and they were out for the count. I went over their bodies and dislodged my weapons from their flesh. They would be fine once XANA stopped possessing them.

And then Yumi decided to show up. She cried out when she saw the bikers on the floor, looking kind of dead. I turned to Devlin. "We have a lot of explaining to do."

"Don't we ever," he agreed.

* * *

><p>After explaining what just went down to Yumi (who was <em>not<em> happy with us, by the way), we got a phone call from Jeremy, who told us that not only were Odd and Kiwi were back to normal, but the tower XANA had activated was now normal too.

We got the no-longer-possessed bikers out of the factory with their toys, and we had to wait for them to wake up to sic Kiwi on them. When they finally did wake up, the first thing they saw was a snarling Kiwi with foam dripping from his mouth.

We laughed raucously when the tough bikers ran away screaming for their mommies.

When we finally calmed down, Ulrich asked Odd, "Why did you have toothpaste with you?"

Odd wiggled his eyebrows at me, which made everyone laugh all over again.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, Yumi mentions drinking in episode 80. You don't see that in cartoons anymore.<em>

_Oh, how I miss the old Cartoon Network. They have a few good shows now, but most of the shows are pretty crappy. Don't you agree?_


	47. Chapter 44: Clone To The Rescue

Chapter 44: Clone To The Rescue

"Anything you can do, I can do better," Aelita said immaturely. It was lunch, and Odd and Aelita were facing off on one of Odd's silly challenges.

Odd set his fork on the table and put a nut on the flat side of it. Then he slammed his fist on the metal teeth and launched the nut into the air. He caught it with his hand.

"Like I told you," he said to Ulrich, "my Odd-like sixth sense defies all limitations." We all laughed and cheered him on, and Aelita prepared her own demo. "All right," she said, about to launch a Clementine, "let me show you my Aelita sixth sense." She slammed her fist onto the teeth of the fork, and the fruit went sailing over her shoulder, nearly hitting Yumi in the process.

Naturally, it landed in Sissi's mashed potatoes, getting it all over her shirt. She screamed and stood up. "Who did that?!"

We all kind of laughed, but we felt bad about it, since she'd been so nice recently.

"Dunbar!" Jim yelled at William clone as he walked up to him. "Haven't you heard that forks are to eat with, not to play with? You hear me, Dunbar?" I looked over at the clone, who was balancing a glass cup at the end of his fork. Oh, crap, he was copying Odd and Aelita!

Before we could stop him, William sent the glass sailing over at Jim, who luckily caught it in midair. "That's the last straw!" Jim told him. "You wanna play at being an idiot? Well, two can play at that game! Follow me!" William clone followed Jim out of the mess hall for his punishment.

"William's clone is not supposed to act like that!" Jeremy hissed at us as they went by. "It doesn't matter if he gets punished. He's not even human," Odd said reasonably, a first for him.

"That's just it," Jeremy said. "He's a polymorphic specter, driven by a basic, non-evolutionary behavior program."

English, Einstein," Ulrich ordered.

"William's clone shouldn't be capable of taking any personal initiatives, like trying to imitate Odd and his stupid stunts," Devlin explained. "Then how do you explain it?" Yumi inquired. "That's just it; I can't," he said, scratching his chin. "Unless…" He turned to Jeremy.

Jeremy picked up where Devlin left off. "Yesterday, I installed an upgrade in his software, something to improve his artificial intelligence. You know something that'll make him appear less…stupid."

"You think him imitating Odd makes him look less stupid?" Ulrich jibed, making us roar with laughter. Only Jeremy and Odd stayed silent.

"I may have to delete the upgrade," Jeremy said sternly. "All we need is William Junior to start making waves."

* * *

><p>Jeremy was still talking as we were walking out of the mess hall. "I was able to improve the super scan. Thanks to the data you collected on your last jaunt of the network, I was able to set things up so it can find other Replikas."<p>

"You mean there are others out there?" Ulrich asked. "Why do you sound so surprised?" I asked him curiously. "Wouldn't XANA naturally have created other hideouts on Lyoko in case one of them was destroyed?"

"I've already located a second one," Jeremy revealed. "How many Replikas do you think there are?" Yumi asked him. "I have no idea," he admitted. "But if we manage to destroy them all, we'll finally be rid of XANA for good."

"And then we have the scientists to worry about," Odd said, his eyes on me. I looked at Devlin, and he nodded. "We've been meaning to talk to you about that," He began slowly.

"What do you mean?" Aelita asked.

"We figured eventually we would have to face up against Vivian, but XANA is our number one priority," he explained. "As much as we want to destroy the project once and for all, we'll have to wait."

I shrugged. "I have no problem with waiting, but I'm just worried that Vivian will surprise us when we least expect it. I just want to get to her first before she gets us."

Jeremy nodded, completely understanding. Ulrich looked puzzled. "But if their cooking something up, wouldn't we have heard by now?" "You mean the mole in the project?" Devlin asked. "I don't know which scientist would risk their life to help us."

"And we don't know if he's even alive or not," Yumi said darkly. "And if he is, he'd have to lie low," Devlin pondered. "After our breakout, Vivian had to be suspicious about her workers. Security has to be even tighter now."

"But enough about that," I interjected, putting my hands together for emphasis. "When do we start on the new Replika?" Jeremy smiled. "Tonight."

* * *

><p>"And energize!"<p>

Two seconds later I was in my Nav Skid, listening to Odd and his boasting.

"Replika, here I come! Odd the best, the greatest, the lean, mean, generator breaking machine!"

"Lean sounds about right," Ulrich jibed. "I don't know about the rest. Don't forget who saved you from the Digital Sea last time."

"And who took out two mega tanks in style? It was Odd, Odd the Magnificent! Hmm, I kind of like that; Odd the Magnificent."

I shook my head. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because you _love_ me!"

"Aelita, can you please release our Nav Skids so I can shoot at Odd?"

"Uh, not right now, Carter," she said. I swear I could hear her trying not to laugh. Either way, we left port and dived into the Digital Sea.

* * *

><p>"Awesome work, J-man," Devlin congratulated his fellow genius. "You found the Replika within a micro bit." "I'm glad to see the improvements on the super scan are effective," Jeremy remarked.<p>

Aelita sent in the password, and we went in. "There's only one sector, the desert," Jeremy explained as the Skid went into the Replika. As usual, he was on the mark.

The tower was past a ravine and on a cliff; a very dangerous place for a tower to be. We docked, and Aelita and Ulrich were teleported out of there.

A few minutes later, Odd was throwing rocks out of sheer boredom. We were all out of the Skid and were waiting right next to the tower. "A shame Ulrich already teleported out of here," Odd was saying. "He won't be able to admire the exploits of Odd the Magnificent and weep out of jealousy."

"Admittedly, he did save your neck last time," Devlin told him.

"Oh, don't you start now!"

"Hey, come on, you guys!" Jeremy pleaded from his cushy chair in the real world. "Save your energy for XANA and friends. I just spotted Aelita and Ulrich. There in New Mexico right now."

We heard the hornets before we saw them. They were coming out of the ravine, and they were coming in fast.

"Here comes the welcoming committee." Odd had a paw over his arm, ready to launch some much needed destruction.

Five hornets in total. Two immediately shot at Yumi, and she used her Tessan fans to absorb the hits. Odd shot a laser arrow, but it missed. Devlin shot at two of them, but only hit one.

One of the hornets shot at me, and I used my daggers to absorb the blows. I was about to throw my daggers at them, but Devlin yelled, "Don't waste your energy on them. We'll need you to take on William."

Cleary no one told him my track record with him was crap as of recently.

"Jeremy, we're gonna need some taxis!" Odd told him, trying to hit the four remaining hornets. "Coming right up!" True to his word, Jeremy quickly virtualized the Overboard and the Overwing. Odd jumped onto his vehicle and went after the hornets.

Yumi was about to do the same, but two hornets went after her. Jumping through the air, Yumi threw her fans at the two hornets, clipping off their wings and sending them plummeting to the ground. Odd shot one of them to dust, while Devlin got the other.

Yumi landed and collected her weapons, then jumped onto her vehicle. They went after the last two hornets, leaving Devlin and me to defend the mother ship.

"Oh, shit!" Jeremy swore. "William's been virtualized in the factory!"

"Is he after you?" I asked him. Jeremy didn't answer for a beat, and then he said, "He's come to destroy the supercomputer. I'll try to distract him." And he signed off.

Odd and Yumi came back to us and hopped off their rides. "We have to help him!" Odd exclaimed. My sentiments exactly.

"We can't leave the tower," Yumi protested. "Yes we can," I said grimly. They all turned to me. "Only a few of us can take William head on," I explained. "So one of us can get devirtualized to help Jeremy."

"We'll decide on that later," Devlin said, pointing in front of us. Three tarantulas were headed our way. "At least we won't be totally useless," Odd said, cracking his knuckles. He and Yumi immediately went on their vehicles and rode towards them. Devlin shot at the tarantulas a few times and finally managed to hit one of them.

Odd and Yumi led the other two tarantulas away into the ravine, leaving me and Devlin alone again.

And then we heard the scared voice of Tamiya over the headphones. "Uh, hello? Anyone out there?"

"Tamiya? What are you doing here?" I demanded to know. "Where's Jeremy?"

"Jeremy told me you have to come back right away." Tamiya sounded like she was about to cry.

"We'll be right there." I turned to Devlin. "You know what to do." Devlin shrugged his shoulders. "Punch William for me, will you?" He pulled out one of his guns.

* * *

><p>I got out of the scanner. "Anyone home?" I called out. "Carter, is that you?" Tamiya called out tentatively. "I'll be right there, Tamiya," I told her reassuringly. I went over to the emergency ladder and climbed up it quickly, getting into the supercomputer room.<p>

I got there just in time for the elevator to open. Possessed William was here. Tamiya, who was in the supercomputer seat, asked him, "Are you the good guy or the bad guy?"

"The good guy," said Possessed William.

"Like hell!" Surprised, they both turned to me. I was standing away from them, daggers drawn. William snarled at me, and used his super speed to come at me. I did a wild stab and got him in the shoulder.

He staggered back, electricity shooting out of his wound. Tamiya whimpered from the chair. William turned to her, but I stabbed him again, right in the back. He screamed in pain and tried to punch me.

Oh, right, I promised Devlin.

I punched William right in the kisser, sending him backwards. He shot electricity at me, slamming me against the wall. I groaned out in pain, but I stood up nonetheless.

And then William clone showed up from the ladder, just in time to help. He launched himself at Possessed William, tackling him to the ground.

"Jeremy, we're in the scanner room," came Aelita's voice from downstairs. Possessed William smirked and he jumped down the ladder. William Clone and I followed suit.

And then William turned into black smoke and seeped into the scanners before anyone could stop him. The scanner glowed for a minute before opening up. The inside was empty; William had somehow returned to Lyoko.

* * *

><p>"How long have you been fighting against XANA?" Milly asked Jeremy. We were all back in the supercomputer room, and since we put the two budding reporters in a scary situation, we decided to give them the scoop of the century.<p>

"Are you sure Jeremy's not mad at me for bringing them here?" William clone asked us as the interview continued. "Not at all," Devlin said. "It worked out for all of us anyway."

"Do you fight XANA a lot?" Tamiya asked us. "Are you kidding?" Odd remarked. Tamiya turned the camera over to him. "We fight XANA all the time; almost every day, in fact."

"Why doesn't anyone know?" Milly asked her pencil near paper.

"Well, no one really remembers," Jeremy explained. "Return to the past now!" He pressed a button on his keyboard, and the world was bathed in white.


	48. Chapter 45: Deadly Confrontations

Chapter 45: Deadly Confrontations

_This is it, you guys. The beginning to the final confrontation between Carter and Devlin against the project. This shouldn't take too long; just another chapter or two. _

_And don't worry, the story will continue afterwards. The Warriors still have to deal with XANA, remember?_

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it," Jeremy leaned back in his chair in the factory. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.<p>

"Something wrong, Jeremy?" Aelita asked out of concern. Devlin looked up from his laptop. The three of them had snuck out of school to work on some stuff in the factory. They did that often; that way their friends couldn't harp on them for missing sleep.

"We just got word from our friend from the project." Devlin slowly put his PC on the floor, and then he popped up yelling "WHAT?!" at the top of his voice.

"Hey, I need those eardrums!"

"Sorry, Aelita. What does the message say, J-man?"

Jeremy took a deep breath. "According to the message he sent, Vivian has got two new test subjects."

"So they replaced us." Devlin shook his head. "But since Carter and I took so much work, their obviously going to try to get us back."

"That goes without saying. It also says that Stacey's really dead."

"Oh, no!" Aelita put her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking. "I don't see why you're upset," Devlin said truthfully. Aelita looked up and glared at him. "You two were both test subjects together!"

"That doesn't mean anything." Aelita looked at Devlin's eyes and saw genuine curiosity in them. He honestly had no idea why anyone would feel bad for Stacey. "I know-_knew _her well enough to say that if it meant getting back on the project, she would have sold you to XANA if that was what the scientists wanted." Aelita just stared at him in shock.

"I kind of agree with him." The two of them looked at Jeremy. "I didn't really know Stacey that well, but from what I know of her, she wasn't a team player. If we had let her on the team, she would have dragged us all down."

"And besides, none of you knew her well enough to feel sorry for her," Devlin went on. "You can't really sympathize with someone you don't know."

"I never knew you could be so heartless." Devlin shrugged off Aelita's harsh words. "I had to be team leader back on the Wastelands," he explained. "I had to make the hard decisions to make sure my team survived, Stacey included, even though I seriously hated her. If you think I'm heartless, so be it. But remember this: everything I do is for my loved ones, no matter what you may think of me."

"Your loved ones?" Aelita didn't know what to say to that.

With a blush coming over his cheeks, Devlin grinned sheepishly. "Well, yeah. The Lyoko Warriors are like the family I never had."

"I know this is kind of out of character for me, but group hug!" Jeremy got out of his chair with his arms outstretched. Devlin and Aelita looked at each other and shrugged. With smiles on their faces, they enveloped each other in a warm hug, all bad feelings forgotten.

After the hug, it was back to business. "The message says something else," Jeremy said gravely. "What?" Aelita asked timidly.

"They found a way to send adults to Lyoko."

* * *

><p>"But that's impossible!" I exclaimed when I heard the news. It was the next morning, and we were all on campus after breakfast. The day was nice out for late January, but I wasn't feeling very sunny at the moment.<p>

"It should be, but the white coats found a way," Devlin said solemnly. He looked unusually pale, making the freckles on his face stand out more.

"According to the message, they sent Vivian to the Wastelands a few times over the past few weeks," Jeremy went on. "Her progress has been steady, but due to her age they're trying not to push it."

"But that means that any adult can get onto Lyoko now." Now Ulrich was looking pale.

"Not quite." Everyone looked at Aelita. "The reason why the project used children as guinea pigs was because they can adapt better to the new environment. Very few adults can do that, like Vivian and my father."

"That means that we won't have to worry about any new enemies," Jeremy said semi-hopefully. "We just have to focus on Vivian and the new test subjects."

"Vivian was smart when she picked those kids," I said darkly. "She picked them because they didn't have families that cared about them. If they feel thankful to the white coats, they won't rebel against them anytime soon."

"Wait, can those guys get onto our Lyoko?" Yumi asked a really good question.

"I don't see why not," Jeremy said. "If they can send an attack our way, why not people?"

"Looks like you'll get to attack them before they attack us after all," Odd told me. I took a deep breath; I knew I said that, and I meant it, but I didn't think it would come so quickly. Well, at least we'll get it over with. "When do we go?"

"Well, considering that we're not teleporting from a Replika, we'll have to do it from our Lyoko," Aelita explained. "It'll take a while to set it all up, but it should be ready by tonight."

The gang looked at Devlin and me. "You guys ready?" Yumi asked us.

We looked at each other before turning back to them. "Do we have a choice?"

* * *

><p>"What do you want to do once we finally get back to the lab?" I asked Devlin back in the dorms. It was just before dinner, and everyone else was in the library. We had snuck in there to discuss our future plans.<p>

"We have to pull the plug on the project once and for all," Devlin said, slumping against the wall. We were in the hallway outside his room. It wasn't the ideal place to have this discussion, but then again we didn't want to get caught in his room alone together. Neither of us wanted the bad publicity.

"Okay, I got that, but how?"

"We destroy everything: the supercomputer, the scientists, even the test subjects."

"I don't get why we have to destroy the test subjects," I said, slumping down next to Devlin. He looked at me carefully. "Like you said before, they'll be thankful to have another chance at life with the scientists. And even if we do save them, we can't provide for them. Jeremy can already get into a lot of trouble for giving Aelita and me bank accounts with money already in them. We can't give those two a life here." Devlin looked at the floor.

"But we can't leave them there in San Diego with the white coats. They'll know too much," I countered. And then what Devlin was saying finally sunk in, and I felt like vomiting all over the hallway floor.

"We have to kill them, don't we?"

Devlin shrugged. "I'll think about it some more before the mission. But if we seriously can't help them..."

* * *

><p>I was so not prepared for the mission, but what choice did I have?<p>

We were in the Skid by this point, and my stomach felt like rebelling against tonight's dinner. If I wasn't on Lyoko, I would have upchucked my now.

Aelita had just docked to a tower in the ice sector. "You guys ready?" Aelita asked the two of us.

"Ready when you are, Carter," Devlin announced. I took a deep, shaky breath. "Let's do this."

"Teleport," Aelita ordered the ship. I closed my eyes as I left my Nav Skid.

So teleportation felt a lot like getting virtualized onto Lyoko; good to know.

I opened my eyes to see a large, white building that looked blandly normal against the craziness that was San Diego. No one would suspect that a nondescript building like this would be a testing facility.

"Carter, Devlin, are you there?" Jeremy said from the sky. I still couldn't understand how we could hear him all the way from France.

"We're here, Jeremy," Devlin responded. "How much time do we have?" "About thirty minutes, and we're really stretching it. You guys go in, trash the place, and get out."

"Roger that, J-man," Devlin told him. He looked around for an entrance. "I know this place like the back of my hand. Just follow me." I followed Devlin as he led us to a fire exit, its sign broken. "This has been broken for years," he explained. "It's not guarded or anything, but when I was little, I was too afraid to escape."

"I can't blame you," I whispered as Devlin opened the door. The hinges groaned in protest, but it wasn't very loud. "What I can't believe is how the white coats left this alone. Don't they know that someone can sneak in here easily?"

We were inside the building now, and it looked old and decrepit. The walls were crumbling, and there were little potholes in the floor. The lights in the ceiling were fading, making the place look like an old mental asylum in a decent horror flick.

Hmm. Maybe that isn't far from the truth.

Devlin and I ran on tiptoes, since I was wearing heels (damn them!) and we couldn't afford to make noise. We made a left turn after a minute, and the place looked as good as new. The lights were blinding, and everything was a pristine white, just like the last time I was here.

Devlin gestured to me. "This is a shortcut into the pod room," he whispered. He put the flat of his palm against the wall and pushed against it. A part of the wall was pushed back, revealing a large square duct big enough for two skinny kids to fit through.

"How…"

"This place went through a lot of changes since the nineties," Devlin explained. "This used to be a special air duct. They were going to fill it up, but the white coats were on a budget." He stepped into the duct, and I followed after him.

Devlin seemed to know the way to the pod room even with the little light filtering into the space. As we crept along, I could remember long forgotten memories of Devlin and me exploring the nooks and crannies in this building whenever we could get away from testing. I even remembered this little crevice in the wall, though we always headed in the other direction.

"We're here," Devlin announced suddenly. He pushed one hand against the wall again and it slid to the left this time, light flooding into the space in the wall. We clamored out into the pod room, with its high-tech computers and human pod chambers.

There were two people in the pods, an African American boy with a curly black afro and wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, and a brunette with her long hair in a braid with a blue checkered blouse and jean skirt. They looked younger than the two of us.

This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

"Do we really have to kill them?" I asked Devlin. "Is there really no other way?" He looked at me gravely. But before he could say anything, the pods began to open. We stepped away quickly as the newest test subjects began to awaken.

I knew this routine: after a training session, if they let us into the real world, they would let us talk to each other and relax for a few minutes. That way the white coats could collect more data.

And now we could talk to them. Maybe even convince them to leave the project.

Devlin grabbed my shoulder, and he gestured to my daggers. Without a word, I unsheathed and handed them to him. We looked at the test subjects as they blinked in the light and got out of their pods. The African American made a noise when he saw us, and the girl turned her face in our general direction, revealing milky blind eyes.

Devlin walked up to them. "Subject thirteen, subject fourteen, I'm subject eleven and she's subject twelve. Can you hear us out?"

"Uh, sure," subject fourteen stammered out. He looked at the girl, who shrugged.

"Do you guys really want to stay here?" I suddenly said, interrupting Devlin. The two of them looked startled for a moment, but then they both nodded. "I was stuck in an orphanage where nobody wanted to be around me," thirteen said bitterly. "If they did, they always felt pity for the poor blind girl, like I couldn't do anything. At least here, I have a purpose."

"My dad used to beat me up when he drank," fourteen said sadly. "Mom split years ago, and I have no other family besides this one. I don't want to leave."

Devlin looked at me, and before I could say anything, he flung my daggers at their throats. The blades sliced through their skin, blood spurting everywhere. Their faces registered shock and pain and fear. They hadn't wanted to go out this way; they had only wanted a family that would love them.

My body began to betray me. I shuddered as I heard the subjects dying breaths, and I felt like heaving everything in my stomach onto the metal floor. I closed my eyes as the two of them died. I heard Devlin walk over to the bodies, and I cringed as I heard the sounds of blades exiting meat.

I felt someone touch my shoulders. "We have to go destroy the supercomputer," Devlin said softly, handing me my daggers. Not a speck of blood was on them, thanks to their polymorphic specter nature.

But before I could take them, I asked Devlin softly, "How could you do it?"

Devlin looked ready to cry. "I didn't want to," he said in a voice like a little boy's. "But I didn't want you to do it either."

I slowly stood up, my knees shaking uncontrollably. I took the blades from him and I refused to look at the bodies. "Where's the supercomputer?"

* * *

><p><em>That last scene wasn't how I planned it, but it works for me.<em>

_So, what do you think? Reviews would be really nice right now._


	49. Chapter 46: The End of the Project

Chapter 46: The End of the Project

_Yes, its the final part concerning the project. Its not exactly how I imagined it, but I think its still pretty good. And remember, the story isn't over just yet. I got something else in store for Carter._

* * *

><p>"Carter, Devlin, we're in trouble," Jeremy yelled over the headphones. The two former test subjects turned away from the dead bodies and looked up. "What's going on Jeremy?" Devlin inquired.<p>

"Someone's on Lyoko, and… she looks kind of like Carter."

Carter sucked in a breath. So the time had come. But why was her grandmother on Lyoko, now of all times?

"What do you want to do?" Devlin asked her. "Do you want to be the one who gets rid of Vivian, or do you want me to do it?"

Carter understood what Devlin was saying. If she killed Vivian, she would be killing her own family in cold blood. Devlin wouldn't have that label on him if he did it. But Carter had to do it; Devlin had already killed two people today, he didn't need any more blood on his hands.

"I'll defeat Vivian," Carter said finally. "You destroy the supercomputer. You know this place better than I do anyway." Devlin looked at her before finally agreeing. "Jeremy, teleport Carter out of here," he ordered the boy genius. "I'll stay here to finish the mission."

"Are you sure?" came Jeremy's tentative voice.

"I'm sure," said Carter.

* * *

><p>When Carter virtualized back onto the Skid, she saw Vivian in front of the Skid with the Lyoko Warriors trying to land a hit on her. But Vivian was too powerful, her hands glowing red, and her long blonde hair wild and free. She was dressed in a simple black armor with a bronze breastplate and a knight's sword strapped to her waist.<p>

The irony wasn't lost on anyone.

Jeremy put Carter on the ground in time to see William on his personal tarantula with two others flanking him, along with a few krabs trailing behind. "Oh, come on!" Ulrich groaned loudly just as the tarantulas stood still and began to shoot at Vivian.

And then William launched himself at Vivian while she was distracted, but Vivian knocked back Zweihander with a flick of her sword, sending him back to the tarantulas.

"Why is she so _strong_?" Odd cried out rhetorically while shooting laser arrows from his overboard. Aelita was also airborne, her pretty pink wings flapping rapidly as she sent pink balls of energy Vivian's way. Vivian jumped back just as the attacks were about to hit her. The energies hit the ground instead, leaving a dark scorch mark.

Vivian held her hand out, a ball of red energy in the palm of it. She sent an energy blast in Aelita's direction, making her try to fly away in a panic. But the energy ball followed her, even behind a tree and towards the tower the Skid was docked at, finally hitting her. Red electricity sizzled around Aelita and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Aelita!" Carter yelled out, alerting her presence to the others. Vivian smirked as she sent another red energy Odd's way. He jumped off his overboard before he was hit. He then shot a few laser arrows at Vivian, only to have her copy William's super smoke ability and quickly come over to Odd. He was devirtualized with two swings of her blade.

Ulrich ran up to her with both of sabers in hand, slashing at Vivian without hesitation. With a swift kick into his stomach he was sent back reeling. In the meantime, Vivian slashed at the fans sent her way, destroying them. She threw an energy blast at Yumi, who was devirtualized instantly.

Ulrich ran after Vivian, screaming bloody murder, only to get devirtualized in his blind rage. That left Carter and William and XANA's monsters to deal with Vivian.

* * *

><p>Devlin shot at the last scientist, watching as the slumped person died. He was breathing hard, and he was almost out of energy bullets. "Jeremy, fill me up!" he called out to his friend. "And tell me what's going on over on your side!"<p>

"Coming right up!" called out Jeremy. "Okay, it's not looking so good. Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd have been devirtualized, and Aelita's unconscious on Lyoko. Carter, William, and some of XANA's monsters are left. Apparently, XANA thinks Vivian's a bigger threat than we are."

"Of course she is, but she soon won't be," Devlin said happily. "I'm almost done here. I just have to destroy all the machines here and I'll be over there to help."

"That's great!" Jeremy said, relieved. "Your guns are charged at maximum. Hurry back!"

"Roger that, J-man!" Devlin turned to the supercomputer and was about to destroy it with his weapons when a voice rang out. "Don't you want to turn the hard drive to dust?" Devlin whirled around, blue eyes wide.

"_Scott?" _The young scientist smiled, his blue eyes lit with joy. "But…why? You hated us!" Devlin glared at one of past tormentors, who used to smile with sadistic glee before they did the surgeries on all of the original test subjects.

"I never hated you, I just didn't like you," Scott said, holding up a flash drive. "Admittedly, I was all for the project at first, but then I realized that they were experimenting on children. Then I was against the project. I had to pretend that I was okay with the testing to make them all trust me." He slowly walked up to Devlin.

"I'm not asking you to believe me, just that you'll let me destroy this thing once and for all." Devlin nodded curtly, hands on his weapons, eyes glaring daggers. "How do you know it'll work?" he asked.

"I've been secretly studying the computer and the machines. I then created a special virus just for this. All the machines are connected to the supercomputer. If the computer goes, everything gets destroyed along with it," Scott explained, even though Devlin pretty much knew that already. Scott then began to download the virus into the supercomputer.

"What will you do once you've destroyed it?" Devlin inquired.

"Well, the US government will probably be after me because I'm the only scientist left, so I'm scheduled to leave the country in a few hours. Even if you hadn't come, I would have found a way to destroy the project. That's why there are no guards coming after us."

"I didn't kill everyone?"

Scott scoffed. "Hardly; I took care of everyone else for you." He added one last flourish to the program, and then removed the flash drive from the computer. "That should do it."

Scott turned to face Devlin, his expression serious. "Once you get out of here, try to destroy Vivian in the Digital Sea. She shouldn't know what happened on this side, but once she has an inkling of it, she'll go insane. Once that happens, destroy her. I know you can do it."

"Damn right I can do it." Scott threw back his head and laughed. "Glad to hear it. I'll never see you again." And then he walked briskly out of the room without turning back. "Thanks for everything!" Devlin called out to him.

And then he heard the supercomputer short circuiting. Lights began to flash repeatedly, and the floor began to tremble. "Jeremy, get me out of here!" Devlin cried out in panic. "On it!" Jeremy said, teleporting him out of there.

* * *

><p>William was kneeling on the ground, hands over his stomach, red electricity buzzing around him. Carter was breathing hard, daggers in hand, glaring at Vivian, who was smiling triumphantly with her sword in her scabbard. All of XANA's backup monsters were gone.<p>

After most of the Lyoko Warriors got devirtualized, it was up to William and Carter to defeat Vivian. Only, the crazy scientist was insanely strong, and the opposing team had lost half of their life points within a few short minutes of fighting.

Vivian tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and sneered. "Give up already. You're just a team made up of a faulty computer program who doesn't want to die and a rebellious test subject who wants freedom she can never have."

"_Like hell I'll give up!"_ Carter snarled as she advanced, seeing violet. Her grandmother smiled gleefully as she dodged her granddaughter's attacks without getting out her sword. Without a moment's hesitation Vivian whipped her fist into Carter's face, making her skid and fall onto the ground.

As Vivian was about to throw the young girl into the Digital Sea, she got shot in the back by a pink energy blast. Princess Aelita had finally decided to rejoin the party, and she looked pissed.

"Leave her alone!" she cried as she shot two more energy blasts at Vivian. She finally got out her sword and swiped the attacks in half, creating a small explosion. Vivian closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as the blast made her step back.

In the confusion, William attacked, swinging Zweihander over his shoulder and actually getting a hit. With a cry Vivian dropped her sword as electricity sizzled around her hand. With her other hand she punched William in the face, sending him reeling.

With her foot Vivian lifted her sword into her good hand and was about to do William in when Carter stabbed her in the back. She grunted and tried to turn around only to get two pink energy blasts to the chest.

"It's over Vivian! You're down to your last life points! You lose!" William announced triumphantly until Vivian started to smile.

"It's not over until I put my toys away," she said, becoming black smoke again. Without any warning she materialized behind Carter and stabbed her in the back, relishing in the irony as the tip of the sword went through her body. Vivian flung the girl aside and advanced towards William and Aelita.

The two of them looked at each other right before William ran up to Vivian, his oversized sword in the air. Aelita waved a hand over her star-shaped watch and materialized her wings. She flew up into the air, hands glowing pink. When Vivian knocked William aside, Aelita fused two energy balls together and threw it at Vivian, who couldn't dodge it in time.

As Vivian shuddered from the attack, William got up from the ground and grabbed Zweihander, which was about a foot away from him. He saw a pair of black high-heeled boots next to his weapon, and he looked up to see Carter standing over it, daggers in their scabbard. The look on her face said, _I got this._

Vivian, who was still recovering from the shock Aelita gave her, did not expect the punch to the face from her granddaughter. She fell to the ground, kneeling in front of Carter.

Carter grabbed Vivian by the throat and dragged her over to the edge, where there was a twenty foot drop into the Digital Sea.

"Carter!" she heard Devlin yell. She didn't have to turn around to see him stand next to her. "It's over; the project's been destroyed. Scott helped us."

Vivian's eyes widened and she gave a blood curling scream, having to express her feelings with sounds instead of words. Her mind raced with _Why did Scott betray us? _and _Where did I go wrong? _and a bunch of other things that a mad woman thought on the brink of death.

Oh well. If Vivian was going to go down without achieving her plans for world domination, she would go down messing with a few heads. Vivian smiled at the former test subjects.

"You two will always be my greatest creations."

Carter snarled and threw Vivian into the Digital Sea, hating her for smiling as she fell into the water. Anger bubbled inside Carter as she clenched her fists and glared at the ground. She only looked up when Devlin put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked into purple eyes. "It's over," he said. "It's finally over."

"Ahem," coughed an all-too familiar voice. They both turned to see an annoyed William in front of them, crossing his arms. Devlin and Carter had to stifle a laugh at how he looked.

When the smile left her face, Carter held out a hand. "It was nice working with you, William." He eyed her suspiciously before tentatively returning the shake. "This means nothing," he snarled at her. "It's back to normal from now on."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Carter said truthfully, honestly glad that things _were _back to normal, or as normal as they ever would be.

William turned into black smoke and ran away, right past Aelita, who had given up her angel wings. The three of them looked at each other before turning to the sky.

"Hey, Einstein, do you think you can get us out of here?" Devlin asked his genius friend.

* * *

><p>Nikola looked at the remains of the project. He had been the only one to escape as the building slowly collapsed. The city officials would say that a bomb had been planted there by terrorists or something along those lines, and they would praise good fortune that the bank had been closed for the day, so there wouldn't be a death toll.<p>

If only they knew that the supercomputer had been connected to the building's internal structure and that once it had been destroyed, the building came down with it. The bank part was a simple cover that had worked like a charm. Only know everything was destroyed.

Or so young Devlin and Carter thought. It had never occurred to them that there were other facilities concerning the super soldier project. They may had been the original testers, but there were dozens of other children with the same abilities as them. The data had been lost in the rubble, but given enough time, the others would produce the same results.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, look, a cliffhanger. But I won't touch on it; I'm planning a sequel for this story. It won't be a while, but I'm thinking about it.<em>


	50. Chapter 47: Monster Wolves

Chapter 47: Monster Wolves

"The project's done and over with, the project's done and over with!" Devlin sang in the supercomputer room. He grabbed my hands and began to dance with me in a circle. I erupted in ecstatic laughter, grabbing Odd's hand and dragging him in.

Never to be deterred, Devlin pulled Aelita in, who in turn pulled Yumi and Ulrich into our happy circle. And we began to sing, "The project's done and over with, the projects done and over with!"

Jeremy sat in his seat, watching us with a bemused expression. Then he began to speak. "Guys…"

"The project's done and over with!"

"Guys."

"_The project's done and over with_!"

"Guys!"

"THE PROJECT'S DONE AND OVER WITH!"

"GUYS!" We all stopped singing and dancing and looked at Jeremy, who was halfway out of his seat and looking very miffed. "Need I remind you that we still have XANA on the loose?"

Devlin shrugged. "Yeah, but we can worry about that tomorrow. Right now I just want to sleep in bed with the comforting thought of no more crazy scientists who want to experiment on me."

Jeremy, who looked at each and every one of our happy expressions, gave up. "Okay, we'll worry about it tomorrow. Let's just go home and get some rest."

Devlin cheered the loudest out of all of us.

* * *

><p>"<em>Look at my giant snowball, mommy!" little Aelita said cheerily as she patted more snow onto a snowball that was almost her size. She was outside of a modern log cabin in the woods, and it was the dead of winter. But the sun was shining and Aelita's parents were nearby. <em>

"_Stay near the house, darling!" Aelita's mom called out. She was standing next to her husband as they watched their daughter play happily in the white powder. Both were dressed in winter gear, and the wife still looked younger than her husband, with her pink locks falling over her elfin face._

_Aelita sang a little lullaby as she patted more snow onto her snowball. Her song was cut short by the howls of wolves, and little Aelita looked fearfully at her parents. _

_But instead it was the men in black, looking stern and scary with their soulless gazes. _

"_Mommy, Daddy!" Aelita cried out, but they were nowhere to be seen._

"_Aelita!" her mother called out as she was dragged away by the men in black. Her hand went out towards her daughter, and Aelita ran after her, but her tiny legs couldn't catch up. Tears went down her face as her mother was thrown into the back of a gray truck. Aelita could see her mother's scared, crying face, and they cried out for each other: "Mommy! Mommy!" "AELITA!"_

_Where was the father? Why wasn't he stopping this?_

_The truck's engine started, and the vehicle quickly came to life as the driver stepped on the gas. The scent of exhaust filled Aelita's nostrils as she ran towards the truck. But even if she was bigger, she still wouldn't be able to catch up._

_Out of breath and her legs feeling like lead, Aelita fell to the ground, the snow catching the tears on her face. Snow began to fall from the sky and the wolves sang their depressing melody._

* * *

><p>"What? You're still having nightmares? Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded from Aelita as we walked towards the school's front gates with the gang.<p>

"I never told you. They come every now and again and I've gotten used to them," she said simply.

"Bullshit!"

"Hey, hey, watch the language!" Ulrich scolded me. "…Even if I do agree with you."

"Let me guess, J-man: you're worried about Aelita," Devlin said suddenly, an impish grin on his face. We all looked at the blonde, who had been looking pretty grim a moment ago. Now his face was red.

"Of-of course I'm worried! I'm always worried about my friends!"

"Riiiight…" went the rest of us.

"It's true!"

"Oh, no, we believe you," Yumi said, a knowing little smile gracing her lips. Jeremy, trying to save face, changed the subject. "I'm more worried about parent-teacher conferences today."

"Well, there's nothing we can do for Devlin and Aelita," Ulrich said. "It'll look weird, but it'll just be for today."

"Not just that." Jeremy looked at me. "Does your uncle know that the project's been destroyed?"

I thought for a moment. "He doesn't know that I know about it. If he knows about what happened to the project, he wouldn't tell me."

"You're going to have to talk to him about it sometime." Yumi was staring at me pointedly. Christmas was still fresh in her mind.

I sighed. "I know, but I just wish it didn't have to be now." By then we had reached the front gates with the other students, and parents were walking in from the school's parking lot. Happy reunions were everywhere, with parents hugging their kids like they didn't want to let them go.

Yumi was waving to an Asian couple not far from us. Her parents, I presumed. "I'll talk to you guys later. I've got a date with my report card." "Don't we all!" Odd called out as she walked away.

I looked at him. "Why are you so peeved? Your parents are happy with you and your grades." "Yeah, but their _too_ happy with me; it's like they don't see the faults." Odd looked at the ground and scuffed it.

Ulrich scoffed. "Wanna switch parents? I'd gladly give them up for yours."

"Come on, boys, don't give your parents any grief," Aelita interjected. "They love you; they may just have a hard time showing it."

Ulrich scanned the crowd around him. "Yeah, a _really_ hard time."

* * *

><p>Mrs. Hertz looked over my report card as me and Uncle Henry waited for her verdict. After our reunion, we went to all of my classes and waited in lines to get a one-on-one conference with all of my teachers. They all said the same thing about me: <em>Your niece is one of the best students I've had all year. She sets an example for the other students. No wonder she got a scholarship over here. <em>We were getting a bit tired of the broken record routine.

"You niece is one of the brightest students in her class. It's easy to see why she's a scholarship student," Mrs. Hertz congratulated me. Uncle Henry smiled, though it was a bit weak.

"Her grades have fallen a bit recently, but I believe it's because of the tutoring she gives to some of her lagging classmates." Was she talking about Odd and Ulrich? "With a bit of hard work she should bring them back up to the A's she deserves." We both thanked her and left.

"Strange; you never tutored back at your old school," Uncle Henry remarked as we walked down the hallway. I saw Ulrich between a stern-looking man and a meek woman-his parents. I smiled at Ulrich and gave him a thumbs up for luck. He smiled back feebly.

"Yeah, well, my friends are awesome. They just need a little help with their schoolwork, that's all," I answered, and it seemed to suffice. We were outside the science wing by then.

"Okay, so Mrs. Hertz is the last teacher, right?" Uncle Henry asked, holding up my schedule. I nodded as I saw that the sky was beginning to go from blue to red. I didn't have much time.

"We need to talk."

Uncle Henry smiled at me. "So talk."

"It's important."

"Okay."

"We can't talk here."

"Why not?"

"It's too confidential."

"I think you need to stop with the games, Carter."

"I think you need to listen to me, Dad."

Henry stared at me with eyes the size of quarters. I hadn't called him "dad" in over half a year, not since the day before the first day of school. When I found out his role in the project, I just kind of stopped. I remembered my dad, and Uncle Henry could never replace him, no matter how much they resembled each other.

Uncle Henry nodded, and I led him to an empty bench near the woods. With a jolt I realized that I had sat there with Odd when a krankelet attacked me, on the day where I discovered Lyoko.

It had finally come full circle.

* * *

><p>As Aelita laid reading in her room, she got a pop-up window on her laptop. It began to play a piano version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", and instantly a memory of her father playing it came to mind.<p>

Aelita jumped off the bed and ran up to her laptop, and a chat room window came up, deleting the song. The silence was eerie, but Aelita didn't dwell on that.

Her father had contacted her through her computer. _Aelita? _

Aelita typed back. _Daddy? Where are you?_

_Expecting you here on Lyoko. _But how? Aelita quickly typed _Your not on the network? _As soon as she pressed the enter button the laptop screen began to flicker, making Aelita slap its side. Why did it have to bug up _now_?

No matter. Her father was on Lyoko, waiting for her. She would find him and they would have their own little reunion party.

Aelita had forgotten about a certain redhead who was also in the dorms while everyone else was at conferences.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'll see you in a minute, my dear," Franz Hopper said to his daughter as the scanners closed. <em>

Aelita opened her eyes to the ice sector. Her father had given her the coordinates to his location a few minutes before, and she was standing before a small yellow dome.

"A simulation bubble?" Aelita mumbled to herself as she came up to it. She put her arm through it, surprised at its watery feel. The light from the bubble began to hurt her eyes, so Aelita closed them as she walked through the dome.

On the inside, Aelita was in the woods in the modern cottage in the dead of winter. She was in her normal form, not her Lyoko attire, and she didn't have any snow gear on. But the cold didn't affect her; in fact, it felt like room temperature.

Aelita walked into the cottage and looked around, but no memories resurfaced. She could hear a piano playing in the den, and a man with scruffy gray hair and a tan sweater on the seat. He stopped playing and turned to see a certain pinkette in his house.

Franz Hopper was finally reunited with his daughter.

"Daddy!" Aelita cried, tears running down her face. "Aelita," her father said, embracing her. "We have so much catching up to do, and so little time."

"I thought you were lost on the network!"

"Not lost; when XANA destroyed Lyoko, I managed to escape. I have information to give you, but first, I just wanted to see you and hold you in my arms. You've grown up so much." Franz looked longingly at his daughter, finally realizing how much of her life she had missed because of him and Project Carthage.

Aelita let go of her father and dried her tears. "This is fantastic! Everything is just the same."

"Yes, it will allow us to do many things, my dear. Like spending an evening together, as a family."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, she left?" Jeremy asked Devlin. It was after conferences, and we were all at the dorms. Our parents had already left recently, and I had yet to tell the others about the news. But more on that later.<p>

"Yeah, she was running out of the building like a bat out of hell," Devlin answered from his desk chair. "When I saw her, she was already out the door. I didn't know what was up, and I figured that it wasn't my business to pry."

"Maybe she's at the factory," Yumi volunteered. "It's our best choice."

"Onward!"

"Shut up, Odd!"

"…Why are you all so mean to me?"

* * *

><p>"…and as long as XANA hasn't been defeated, I can't rematerialize myself," Franz explained to Aelita. "But you, my dear, should be able to free your young friend. What was his name?"<p>

"William."

"Right. I'm going to send Jeremy a program via the supercomputer. By the way, how's your fight against XANA progressing?"

"We're hunting him down on the network thanks to our virtual ship, the Skidbladnir," Aelita said, sure her father would understand the meaning behind it.

"The Skidbladnir?" Franz gave a little chuckle. "What a strange name."

"But you know that name. It was in the book of Viking legends you used to read to me every night before I went to sleep."

Franz gave a little gasp. "Of course! How could I forget?" Aelita raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it. Something was bothering her. "Why did you ask me to come to Lyoko, Daddy?"

Franz looked surprised. "Because I wanted to see you, especially since it's been such a long time."

"But it's dangerous. XANA could attack at anytime."

"Not as long as I'm with you."

This wasn't going anywhere. Aelita looked around the den. "You know, when I said that everything was just as I remembered, I meant it."

Franz smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted you to feel as if it were your home; _our_ home."

Aelita got out of her seat. "It's true, nothing's missing. Well, except for one thing."

"What is it?"

"My mother. Where's mom, Daddy?"

Franz looked alarmed. "You remember Aelita, your mother disappeared."

"Yes, and I want to see her again more than anything else in the world. And you know that. You've always known that." Aelita began to pace around the room. "And since you're a perfectionist you would have recreated her here in the simulation bubble; that is, unless you weren't really my father." Aelita began to back away towards the exit.

Franz got out of his seat. "Aelita!"

"Stay away from me, XANA!" Aelita unlocked the door and tried to go out of it, only to have Possessed William block her escape. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the center of the room.

Aelita struggled out of his grasp as her father pixilated. "Give up, Aelita," William sneered. "You can't beat me." "That's what you think," she said, finally getting out of his hands and running out the door.

"What are you waiting for?" William glared at Franz. "Go after her!" Waldo pixilated and grunted as a response.

Aelita was outside, her swift feet crunching the fake snow. She was so close to the outside, she just knew it, but it would be all over if XANA got to her. She could hear him coming after her, hear his footsteps, the chilling howl he made as he transformed into a wolf- Aelita's nightmare monster. She could even hear William's horrible laughter behind her.

And then the wolf jumped in front of her, its amber eyes glowing evilly at her. Aelita backed away fearfully. "There's no escape," William said, coming up to her. "This bubble is your prison."

Aelita backed up some more as William laughed again. And then she felt something on her back- _the exit out of the bubble._ Now she just had to play it cool.

"All right, William, you win." Aelita bowed down and began to softly sing. She raised her hands to the exit and thought about it shattering into a million pieces, signaling her escape.

"NOOOOO!" William screamed as the simulation bubble cracked apart.

Aelita was back in the sector in her Lyoko form. She looked behind her to see William in his black armor and Zweihander over his shoulder, a Blok right next to him.

"It doesn't matter, Aelita," William said, ready to use his weapon. "You'll never win."

"That's what you think!" Aelita threw an energy blast at William, only to have the William deflect it. Aelita gritted her teeth and prepared the next one. And then she heard the sound of a motorcycle coming their way.

William heard it too and summoned his personal flying mantis after the good guys. Odd and Devlin began to play with it on Odd's Overboard, leaving Carter and Ulrich to deal with the Blok and Pretty Boy.

Aelita, in a flash of quick thinking, summoned her angel wings and tried to fly away. The Blok shot her down. "You want to leave?" William asked. "Be my guest." With his hand outstretched, he pooled dark, smoky energy around Aelita, lifting her off the ground and towards the Digital Sea.

Ulrich and Carter were too far away. Jeremy tried to forcefully bring her back to the real world, but with a thrust of his hand, William released the energy, sending Aelita plummeting, screaming all the way down into the Digital Sea.

Aelita was gone in a flash of bright light.

With a yell of rage, Ulrich threw his saber at William, only to have him deflect it. Carter grabbed Ulrich by the waist and used her demon wings to lift him off the Overbike, but not before Ulrich gave it a good kick in William's direction. A shame William used his super smoke ability to dodge.

Ulrich got his saber back when Carter left him on the ground. Odd yelled out, "This is going to cost you, Romeo!" at William and was about to attack when they all saw him walk towards the edge of the icy cliff, Zweihander at the ready.

"What's he doing now?" Ulrich asked rhetorically. "I don't know," Jeremy said. "But without Aelita, it's all over."

Suddenly, a white orb came out of the Sea, pulsating with white light. It was outlined in pink.

"VICTORY!" William cheered, throwing his hands up in the air. But then he noticed that something was wrong. The orb was floating feebly away from him. The Blok began to fire at it. The orb quickly moved away from the attackers to another icy cliff far away.

"Guys, protect that bubble!" Jeremy ordered us. "It's Franz Hopper!"

"We'll handle William!" Carter told Odd and Devlin. "You guys take care of that Blok!"

As the four of them fought XANA's reinforcements, the bubble slowly made its way across the plateau, dropping something off.

Aelita was lying there, barely conscious. When she came to, she saw that XANA was trying to destroy the white bubble with a mantis and a Blok. Odd and Devlin destroyed the mantis, but the Blok was still there. Nevertheless, Aelita was relieved to see her friends again.

"Glad to have you back, princess!" Odd shouted on his Overboard with Devlin. The redhead smiled and gave a thumbs us as they flew away to take care of a certain monster.

Ulrich cried out as Zweihander devirtualized him. Carter stabbed William in the shoulder before she was gone too. Odd and Ulrich had just managed to destroy that Blok when William devirtualized the two of them.

It was the Princess against the Evil Knight.

William used his super smoke ability to get to Franz Hopper. As he was about to kill him, Aelita shot an energy field at him, distracting him as Aelita's father fell into the Digital Sea.

In a fit of rage, William sliced up Aelita, devirtualizing her. Aelita was smiling.

* * *

><p>"It's pretty obvious what's going on," Jeremy said.<p>

"And there he goes again," Odd mumbled. We were all in Odd and Ulrich's room, waiting to hear what Jeremy had figured out.

"You see, when Hopper was destroyed, he wasn't spread out over the network. He managed to escape."

"He disappeared on purpose," Devlin explained Jeremy's explanation.

"He was trying to get away from XANA," Jeremy went on. "That's why he's always trying to throw Aelita into the Digital Sea all the time. He knows that Hopper will go to any lengths to protect his daughter, even if it destroys him."

"As long as my father's alive, he'll always be a big threat to XANA," Aelita confirmed darkly.

And that put the stake in the coffin on an otherwise perfect day.

* * *

><p><em>I have no idea where Yumi was for most of this chapter. I think she got devirtualized before Aelita got thrown into the Digital Sea.<em>

_I'm also downplaying the effects of the destruction of the project. I'm not dedicating a whole chapter on Carter's feelings on it like the Halloween arc, so let's just say that she's ecstatic that its gone._


	51. Chapter 48: Bad Luck Odd

Chapter 48: Bad Luck Odd

It was almost time for dinner when the others remembered.

"Did you tell your uncle about the project?" Yumi asked me suddenly. We had been so preoccupied with Aelita that everyone forgot. I frowned at the thought of talking about it.

"Yes…"

"How did he take it?" Devlin inquired.

"It…it could have gone better."

* * *

><p>"<em>I know about the project, dad. Everything, including your part in it."<em>

_Henry put his head in his hands as his niece continued. "I know that Vivian killed my parents and that in a moment of weakness you sold me to her. I remember every experiment she did on me and the others and why you took me out of it."_

"_You don't know why I took you out of it."_

"_You wanted me to have a normal life, didn't you?"_

"_Well, yes, but one time a few years ago, I came over to the project to check on your progress. I heard you screaming, and… you looked like you were in so much pain." Henry looked at Carter with grief, anguish, and guilt. "I don't think Vivian ever knew that I saw the experimentation, so she put up one hell of a fight when I said I wanted you out. I eventually had to agree to give you back after a few years._

"_After that I started to find ways of escaping the project together. I created fake birth certificates and names and everything just in case. We could have easily escaped the country if need be." Carter looked at Henry in shock. He had done all that when she was out? And here she thought he was just another clueless pawn._

"_How do you know about it, anyway?" Henry revealed what was really bugging him. Carter bit her lip. "Have you ever heard of Franz Hopper?"_

_Henry's head shot up. "What does he have to do with it?"_

"_There's a factory near here that has another Lyoko in it, like the one Hopper created for the project. An evil virus called XANA is trying to destroy the world, and some kids have been stopping him all this time."_

"_But what does that have to do with you?"_

"_Well, after you left, I met those kids. They were really nice and tried to keep me out of the Lyoko thing. But then there was a XANA attack and I had to help them stop it. Vivian captured me using Lyoko and she told me everything-or, at least, her version of everything."_

_Henry's eyes widened. "Those friends I met at the airport…"_

"_All of us are trying to stop XANA. The other, Devlin, used to be a test subject for the project." Carter looked at her uncle with an unusual calm. "When I was taken by Vivian, the others got me back and even set him free. We've all been here ever since, fighting XANA and the project."_

_Henry got up from the bench and started pacing around, looking ridiculous. Carter didn't dare try to stop him, though. He needed time to think. _

_A few minutes later, Henry announced, "We're leaving."_

_Carter stared at him. "What?"_

"_We're leaving the country. This is way too dangerous for a bunch of high school kids to deal with. And if the project kidnaps you again…"_

"_You don't have to worry about Vivian anymore." Henry looked at his niece and was scared to see the determined, deadly calm in her eyes. "Devlin and I destroyed the project and got rid of Vivian. We only have XANA to worry about now."_

"_How did I not recognize him?" Henry muttered to himself absentmindedly. "I've seen him enough times; you'd think I'd recognize him."_

"_I'm not leaving, Dad." That snapped him out of it. "I have something I need to do here and amazing friends who can help me. If you're not mature enough to handle it, then I can't help you."_

"_I'm your guardian; I can take you out of this if I have too!"_

"_Just because you're my guardian doesn't mean you can control me forever. If I don't do this, then XANA wins and the human race loses. You can't run forever, dad. The past will always catch up to you." Carter gave him a bitter smile. "I can speak from experience."_

_Henry didn't know what to do. One side of him was screaming at him to take his niece and run away, far away from all this and to live happily ever after. But the reasonable part of him was admiring his niece for cleaning up the mess a bunch of so-called adults created, helping to stop something evil from destroying the world, and staying to do what she felt was right. _

_Adults could help, but then they would completely take over and destroy everything Carter and her friends had worked for. They wouldn't see this XANA as some evil entity; it was only some political agenda they could manipulate for themselves._

_How odd, that children could see right from wrong better than adults can._

* * *

><p>"And he's letting you stay?" Odd asked hopefully. I smiled at him. "I had to swear up and down that I would stay safe and keep him posted for any XANA related activity, but yeah. It just kind of sucks that I had to reveal Lyoko to him."<p>

"We don't blame you for that," Jeremy told me reassuringly. "Lyoko was tied to project. It would have been impossible to not tell him about it."

"We're just glad that you can stay," Ulrich said. "Isn't that right, Odd?" Odd nodded like an excited puppy, though it was pretty obvious that he had wanted to tell me that instead of his best friend.

* * *

><p>"Tea and dry toast, Odd? You're not sick, are you?" I asked him as Odd set his breakfast tray on the table.<p>

"No, but after I choke on this, I will be." After a few seconds of laughing at Odd, Jeremy turned serious. "You guys have to go back to that military base and destroy XANA's supercomputer once and for all. I don't think it should be too complicated, as long as XANA doesn't have anything new up his sleeve."

* * *

><p>We were in another Replika in the Skid, and we were connected to one of the towers. We were all talking about Odd's string of bad luck that day, all because he accidentally broke Ulrich's mirror.<p>

"Walking under a ladder is just asking for trouble." Ulrich.

"In Japan, people avoid everything to do with the number four because it sounds just like the word for death." Yumi.

"Back at my old school, you got bad luck for a day if you stepped on the school flag." This was just a silly superstition back at my old school, but everyone still avoided the school flags for that reason.

"Did you know that the word 'rabbit' is bad luck for sailors?" Aelita.

"In England, the groom has to carry his bride into their new home to avoid any bad spirits from entering." Why did Devlin know that?

"The only thing that'll bring you bad luck is talking about dumb superstitions because all I'm hearing is you guys being laughed at," Odd said confidently.

"You talk smart, but I bet that by the end of the day, you'll be crossing streets to avoid black cats!" said Ulrich, a smirk evident in his voice.

"Okay," Jeremy interjected, "Odd, Yumi, and Devlin, you guys ready for teleportation?"

"Ready," all three of them said in unison.

Jeremy energized Yumi and Devlin, but for some reason, Odd couldn't be teleported. "What did I do wrong?" he asked Jeremy. "I don't know," he admitted. "The teleportation failed for the first time!"

"I guess its bad luck."

"Ulrich, shut up about that or you're going to have the bad luck of me punching you in the mouth!"

"Ladies, ladies, your both pretty!" I soothed the two of them. "Now let Jeremy do his thing so we can get this mission over with."

"Do you want me to go, Jeremy?" Aelita asked helpfully. "No, you've got your work cut out for you on the Replika," Jeremy told her. "I've just picked up an activated tower. I'll just send someone else to deal with the computer. Energize!" And Ulrich left the Skid. Jeremy told the rest of us, "The tower is due west from your location."

"Let's go!" cheered Odd as we were teleported out of the Skid. "I'll stay here and guard the Skid," I told the others. "You go deactivate the tower."

"Fine by me," Jeremy said as he virtualized the Overboard and Overwing. "Uh, Jeremy, isn't Aelita coming on the Overboard with me?" Odd asked him.

"Well, seeing how your day's been going up to now, I think it'd be best if you guys travelled separately."

"You guys are such lame-os! I keep telling you that everything's cool!" Odd said that as his Lyoko avatar began to pixilate like an old TV. "Did you see that, Jeremy?" Aelita pointed at Odd. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea," Jeremy admitted. "I'll check it out. You guys get going."

I waved good bye as Aelita and Odd went on their vehicles towards the activated tower.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, William decided to show up.<p>

"Hello, William," I greeted him, drawing out my daggers. "It's been a while. How's life on the dark side?"

"Very gratifying. Why don't you join us, Carter? We have cookies."

I felt my jaw drop. "Since when did XANA have a sense of humor?"

"Since I introduced him to YouTube. But we have no more time for pleasantries. FOR XANA!" And with that, William was slashing at me with Zweihander. I parried his strike and forced him back a step. I then kicked him in the knee, forcing him to hop on one foot.

And then I heard the familiar sound of Tessan fans whizzing past my ear and at William. He deflected one of them, but the second sliced him in the shoulder.

I looked behind me to see Yumi, and I smiled, until William tried to slash me again with his sword. "You never turn your back on the enemy, Carter," he sneered as our blades crossed.

Yumi threw another fan at William, which distracted him long enough for me to stab him in the chest. And then for some reason, I began to pixilate.

"Uh, Jeremy? I'm all bugged up," I told him as I was devirtualized.

* * *

><p>I woke up to see the scanner room before me. I climbed the ladder to see Odd and Aelita crowding around Jeremy as he said something about a bug. "What's going on?" I asked as I got closer.<p>

"There's an extremely complicated bug and Jeremy can't fix it right now." Aelita explained as we watched Yumi take out William. It had been a pretty easy fight, and she won without losing too many life points, but then she bugged up too and was devirtualized.

"Great, Odd's bad luck got to almost all of us," I groaned. Odd glared at me. "There's no such thing as luck!" he cried stubbornly as Jeremy told Ulrich and Devlin the bad news.

And in no time flat, the krankelets they were supposedly so worried about dropped like flies. "Incredible! Devlin just took three of them out at once!" Aelita cheered. "Ulrich just took out two of them!" Yumi smirked at Odd. "Looks like they've got a lucky streak today."

At this point, even Odd was beginning to believe in superstition.

"There goes the last of them," Jeremy announced. And then he told the two of them, "Hurry up and destroy the computer! You're fading fast!" We waited with baited breath as the two of them destroyed XANA's computer.

"The Replika's disappearing!" Jeremy announced. "What about the Skid?" Aelita asked worriedly. "Don't worry," Jeremy assured her. "I installed a remote control piloting program for emergencies just like this one. And besides, Devlin's a pretty good pilot too." We watched as he worked his computer magic and got the Skid out of there before it exploded.

* * *

><p>Devlin and Ulrich walked out of the elevator with a triumphant swagger. "We are the greatest!" Devlin sang as he waltzed up to us. "What do you think?" Ulrich asked Odd. He responded with, "Luck, buddy. It was all luck."<p>

So he finally admitted it.

* * *

><p>We were in the mess hall when Odd fell flat on his face and spilled his dinner all over the floor. "Ever since I broke that stupid mirror, I've been jinxed!" he cried as he got up.<p>

"Jinxes don't exist," Aelita told him. "Luck does, but it changes."


	52. Chapter 49: Thinly Veiled Warnings

Chapter 49: Thinly Veiled Warnings

After three days from suffering from bad luck, Odd finally got some good luck for a change. First, he got a B-plus on his math test ("And he didn't even study for it," Ulrich had said enviously). Second, Odd was able to comment "First!" on a YouTube video when it first came out. And now it was mail call, and Jim had handed him a pretty big package.

"Aelita Stones, there's a postcard for you." Jim handed her a blue postcard, tearing even Odd away from his large cardboard box. "Well, that's strange," Aelita said as Jim went on with mail call. "Who's it from?" Ulrich demanded to know.

"I have no idea. There's no name."

"It must be from XANA," Jeremy joked. "He must be on vacation. We haven't seen him in a few days."

Aelita decided to ignore him. "'Hi, Aelita. Thinking of you in Montreal. Warmest regards.' There's no signature."

"Catherina Wilder." Jim handed me a small package with a letter attached. "You name is Catherina?" Odd asked. "Yeah, didn't you know?" Devlin asked back for me as I opened the letter.

_Hey, Carter,_

_How's life in Kadic? Hope the schoolwork isn't too stressful for you. Then again, this is you we're talking about. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it._

_Have you had any trouble with the virus? I hope the doctors were able to keep it away for a while. We don't want anything to happen to you while I'm not there._

_Remember, if Odd isn't treating you well, send him to San Diego. I'll teach him a thing or two._

_With Love,_

_Uncle Henry_

_P.S., I got you a little something. I saw it in a bookstore and I remembered how you liked Greek mythology. I think this'll be fun to read._

"What's it say?" Odd peered over my shoulder. "My uncle's always worried about XANA now, but he thinks that we can't openly talk about it, so he's talking in code," I explained, showing the letter. "XANA is the virus and you all are the doctors."

"Oh, look: a thinly veiled threat to Odd. He's really getting into the whole parent shtick," Devlin joshed, making everyone laugh out loud at our favorite blonde. As we calmed down, I opened the brown parcel and discovered a paperback book. "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," I said aloud. I liked the cover: It showed a boy in an orange t-shirt in a stormy sea, holding a bronze sword in one hand and a horn in another. He was staring at the Empire State Building while lightning flashed in the dark, stormy sky.

This book looked _epic_.

"What'd you get, Odd?" I asked him as I hesitantly tore myself away from the book. He opened it gleefully and looked surprised at the contents.

"_Dog food? _They got me dog food and nothing else?"

"Makes you wonder who they think the real son is," Ulrich teased, making us all snicker.

"Hey, check this out!" Jeremy exclaimed as he opened his own letter. "I won first prize in a contest from Cosmos and Future Formula magazine."

"What's the prize?" Devlin inquired.

"An aerial invitation in a jet fighter with a live fixed target air-ground strike missile jet," Jeremy read off. "And it's for today, too!"

"That's cool," Ulrich said enviously. "Yeah, but I don't remember entering the contest." Jeremy looked at the letter in confusion. "…Do you think its XANA?"

"XANA's got nothing to do with it, J-man," Devlin retorted. "It was me. I really wanted to win, so to increase my chances of winning, I wrote entry forms in all your names, and it worked."

"That's fine but the prize can't be transferred. I'm the only one who can go on that flight."

"Wait, what?" Devlin took the letter from Jeremy and read it himself. "Huh. I didn't think of that."

I looked at Devlin to Odd to back to Devlin. "Did you two switch bodies or something? I swear, doing something like this is a really Odd thing to do."

"That's a really good point," Ulrich said, looking at the two of them. "Hey, just because I'm a genius doesn't mean I'm all that smart," Devlin remarked.

"Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"I'm a teenager, Odd. Of course I'm going to do stupid things. It's pretty normal for my age group." Devlin turned to Jeremy. "Are you going to do it?"

"I can't go," Jeremy said, mostly to himself. "I have to stay near the factory."

"Are you kidding? This is the chance of a lifetime!" Odd exclaimed. "And XANA hasn't been attacking in a while," Aelita reasoned. "I can keep an eye on the super scan for you."

"Hold on a minute." Devlin looked at Jeremy with wide eyes. "You're totally scared of going on this flight."

"E-excuse me?" Jeremy spluttered. "That's totally wrong! I'd love to go!"

And then the bell rang to signal the end of breakfast. Jeremy grabbed the invite from Devlin and most of us left to go to class. Odd grabbed his package and made a beeline for his room. I did the same, but I first stopped to talk to Jeremy.

"Hey, J, do you think you can do a quick experiment on Odd and Devlin? I swear Devlin's been acting like Odd today."

* * *

><p>Aelita, Devlin, and I were in Ulrich and Odd's room, hanging out and doing homework. We did that a lot; sometimes it was the guys' room, sometimes it was in mine and Aelita's room, sometimes in Devlin's. It was mostly for fun, but at least Ulrich got some education out of it.<p>

Odd opened the jar of dog food his parents got him and took a whiff. "Gross! What normal dog would eat this stuff?"

Ulrich looked up from his math book. "Whoever said your dog was normal?"

Kiwi started to bark at that, and we heard someone knock on the door. "Stern, Della Robbia, what's going on in there?" It had to be Jim.

Odd quickly handed Kiwi to me, and I handed him to Ulrich, who hid him in Odd's armoire. Odd opened to door and Jim barged in. "Did I hear a dog barking in this room?" And then he took the scene in front of him. "And just what is going on here?"

"We're studying, Jim," I told him innocently. We all held up our textbooks for proof.

"Then why aren't you studying in the library?"

"We're too loud for the library," Devlin said in all seriousness.

Jim walked into the center of the room, mindful of Aelita and me sitting on the floor. "I could've sworn I heard a dog barking in here."

"Oh, that was me, Jim," Odd said quickly.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Oh, no, it really was me." Odd held up the jar of dog food. "Whenever I eat my mother's pate I bark like a dog."

Jim sniffed the food. "Well, one thing's for sure, it smells good." Odd held the jar out to him. "Well, here, take it as a present."

"Oh, I couldn't do that. Your mother made it for you."

"Oh, don't worry, my mother always told me to share things. Besides, there's plenty more where that came from."

Jim weakened. "Well, thanks Della Robbia." He took the jar out of Odd's hands. "Pate is my favorite food." With a spring in his step, Jim walked out of the room and even closed the door for us.

We waited until we couldn't hear his footsteps before we started laughing. "I can't believe that worked!" Ulrich gasped, tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

And then we heard the super scan beep from Jeremy's laptop. Aelita took it out of her backpack and examined the problem. "We've got an activated tower in the ice sector."

* * *

><p>"I got the controls. You guys get to the scanners." Devlin sat in the supercomputer seat and put on the headset. As the five of us headed back into the elevator, Devlin got a call. "Jeremy, is that you? What's going on?"<p>

We all got closer to hear. "Are you guys all at the factory?" Jeremy asked us.

"Well, yeah," Devlin answered. "XANA just activated a tower."

"I know. He just took control of the jet I'm in!"

"Well, shit," Devlin swore. "He's going to crash the jet into the factory, isn't he?"

"I would assume so."

"We've got fifteen minutes until the fighter jet destroys the supercomputer," Devlin calculated. He turned to us. "Go to the scanners. We don't have much time."

* * *

><p>"What, no monsters to greet us? I was hoping for a warm up." Odd shrugged as Devlin called up the vehicles. Just in time too; Ulrich and Aelita had just begun to virtualize.<p>

"You coming?" I asked Odd as I hopped onto the Overboard. "Can't I drive this time?" Odd complained. "You're driving kind of stinks."

"Oh, like you're any better!" Odd stopped whining long enough for him to climb onto the board. Yumi and Aelita were together on the Overwing, and Ulrich had the bike all to himself. With the clock ticking, we set off towards the tower.

"Oh, we haven't fought krabs in a while," Devlin remarked as we neared the tower. "I'm jealous."

"Don't be; we're about to have more company," Ulrich predicted as two krabs guarded the tower. Ulrich immediately slammed his Overbike into them, knocking them both over. Yumi killed one of them with her fans, and Odd got the other one with a laser arrow.

I lowered the Overboard to the ground and jumped off. "You take the air. I'll stay on the ground in case William shows up." "Sure," Odd said with a shrug as three tarantulas appeared.

I threw my daggers at one of them, getting it in the throat and the XANA eye. But before it could die, though, it shot at me once. I couldn't dodge in time and got hit in the leg.

"Carter, you've got eighty life points left," Devlin informed me as I laid on the ground. "Are you off your game today?"

I stood up and used telekinesis to get my weapons back. "I haven't really had a good track record on Lyoko lately."

"When you have a streak of great luck, it's got to go down sometime," Devlin said wisely. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll be back to fighting form soon."

When I got back to the scene in front of me, I saw the Lyoko Warriors diverting the remaining two tarantulas away from the tower. Aelita was left behind an ice wall, waiting for the all clear to the tower.

And then I saw William tap her shoulder. When did he get here?

I didn't have time to dwell on that. I swung my dagger and nailed William in the shoulder, giving Aelita some time to get away. But despite the pain he was in, William shot a ball of black energy at her, sending Aelita near the edge of the cliff.

I threw my other dagger at William, getting him in the neck. As he choked on it, I slowly walked up to him, not caring that I was seeing violet. When William got the dagger out of his neck, he smirked at me.

"So, you decided to become angry again."

"What?" I snarled, and was surprised at how deep and harsh my voice sounded.

William calmly got the other dagger out of his shoulder. "The reason why you can't win against me anymore is because you're afraid of losing control. If you get angry enough, you'd be able to get rid of me once and for all."

Was he talking about himself or XANA? Either way, what he just said struck a chord in me. The reason why my track record was so awful was because _I was holding back_. I was afraid that if I gave into the psychotic madness Devlin warned me about, I'd become a killing machine. I couldn't give in, but then I couldn't defeat William without it.

I gritted my teeth. "You don't know me, XANA."

"I know all of you better than you know yourselves."

"So, what, you're a stalker now?"

"Uh…."

I punched William in the face, sending him backwards. I used telekinesis to get my daggers back, and prepared to attack as William got up.

And then the tower went white. Aelita must have turned into a ninja, because she had ran into the tower without making a sound.

I looked at William, expecting him to howl in rage. Instead, he was looking at me calmly. "Remember what I said, soldier. You can't defeat me unless you give in." And then William turned into black smoke and retreated.

* * *

><p>Even after a return to the past, I was still in a dark fog as I walked about in the dorms. At least, until I spied Jeremy in the hallway. "Something wrong, mystery postcard writer?" I joked.<p>

Jeremy started. "How'd you know?"

"Who else could it have been?"

Jeremy smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to show her that she wasn't alone in the world, that someone cares about her."

I smiled. "I'm sure she gets that." Then I thought of something. "Are you going to do that fighter jet thing?"

"After what XANA did? No way," Jeremy scoffed. "I'm having Devlin do it, just like he wanted."

* * *

><p><em>Conveniently for me, the first Percy Jackson book was out by the time episode 84 rolled around. I just had to put it in there. XD<em>


	53. Chapter 50: Falling in Lust

Chapter 50: Falling in Lust

_Today, some kids were freaking out over the whole Mayan apocalypse thing. It took all of my willpower not to punch them all in the face._

_Seriously, the world is not going to end anytime soon. That'll happen when the the super volcano under Yellowstone National Park blows up or when the next ice age comes around. _

* * *

><p>"Hey, Carter, what movie-Carter? Hey, Carter!"<p>

I snapped out of my dark fog when Odd began yelling in my ear. We were in Odd's room-Ulrich was in the library- and Odd wanted to watch a movie on his computer with me. Only I wasn't really into it.

What William had told me last time I was on Lyoko scared me. _The reason why you can't win against me anymore is because you're afraid of losing control. _That was true; if I didn't check myself constantly I would go on a murder spree, killing everyone in my path indiscriminately.

But if I didn't give in…

"Carter?" Odd waved a hand in front of my face. I must have zoned out. "Yeah, Odd?"

"What is up with you? You're always staring into space and you haven't laughed at my jokes recently."

"That's because you're jokes have been sucky recently."

"They have not!"

"Have too!"

Kiwi began to bark at us, growling slightly. Even the dog knew we were being immature.

I counted to ten to calm myself down. "What movie are we watching?"

"We'll discuss that when you tell me what's wrong." Odd stared me down, arms crossed. I glared at him before all the fight went out of me. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Odd blinked. I was usually stubborn and I wouldn't have given up so easily. He sat down beside me on the floor and said, "Talk."

"Remember last time on Lyoko when William didn't attack Aelita?"

"But William did attack Aelita."

"Yeah, once; he was too busy trying to talk to me to give her any thought."

"What, is he trying to turn you over to the dark side?" Odd joked, trying to diffuse the tension.

I bit back a laugh. "Actually, he did that once. He tried to bribe me with cookies."

"_What?_"

"I know!" I exclaimed, not bothering to keep from giggling. "Apparently, ever since William introduced XANA to YouTube, he's had a sense of humor."

"Oh my God, how did he _not_ corrupt it?" Odd said, his shoulders shaking from the hilarity of it. "What else did he say?"

Now it was time to get serious. "He said the reason why I can no longer beat him is because I'm not angry enough."

"What does that mean?"

"I think it means…" How could I explain this? "You know when I get mad on Lyoko, like _really_ mad, my eyes turn purple, right?"

"Yeah…," Odd said slowly.

"Well, I've been trying to control that, and now I can't beat William."

It took a minute for that to sink in. "And he told you that?" Odd looked at me like he didn't believe me.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either."

"Well, don't believe him! He's trying to use you!"

I suddenly realized why I was controlling my unstoppable temper in the first place: if I snapped, I would go down killing everyone I knew and loved. XANA _was_ trying to use me!

How did Odd figure that out before me? Wait, did he even know about that part?

"I think he wants me to snap or something," I confessed. "I guess he thinks that if I kill him, I'd turn on you guys." I scoffed. "Like that'll happen."

"That's right!" Odd lightly punched my shoulder like he usually did with Ulrich. "Who cares if you can't defeat William on your own? One of us can help you and we can take him down together."

"That sounds awesome. But don't tell anyone about me snapping, okay?" I pleaded.

"Why not?"

"The others are probably worrying about me snapping and attacking them. If they found out that it's only a matter of time until it happens, they'll never trust me again," I explained, trying hard not to let my voice quiver. I couldn't break down now.

Odd mulled it over. "Okay," he said finally. "If you're that worried about it, we won't tell anyone. But I still think we should tell Jeremy or Ulrich."

I shook my head. "Jeremy would never let me onto Lyoko to protect Aelita. And even if he did, Ulrich would watch me like a hawk and that might distract him from fighting XANA's pets."

Odd nodded. "Yumi would be the same way, and we can't tell Aelita or she'd worry. So that just leaves…"

* * *

><p>"I won't tell anyone," Devlin said the next morning. We had met up just before breakfast, and thankfully no one (i.e. the Lyoko Warriors) had found us yet.<p>

"I'll try and cover you when you fight William," Devlin reassured me. "If not, I'll get someone else to do it. Don't worry."

I was still a little worried, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "Thanks, Devlin."

Any time." He then waved at someone behind us. Odd and I turned to see Aelita and the others going into the mess hall. Ulrich was waving at us and beckoning us to come in.

* * *

><p>My excuse for talking to Devlin so early in the morning was that I needed some help in school. Odd said that he was teaching Devlin some ways to pick up girls. Devlin did not like Odd's excuse.<p>

"Devlin, why would you go to Odd of all people to tell you how to talk to girls?" Ulrich asked him as we sat down at our usual table.

"I don't have very many options. I mean, you and Einstein don't actually have very good track records with girls your age." Devlin stared at the two of them pointedly as the rest of us snickered behind our hands.

"Lay off," Ulrich grumbled as Jeremy coughed, his cheeks bright red.

* * *

><p>It was after English Lit class, and we had just talked about the play <em>Romeo and Juliet<em>. Sissi had said it was beautiful. Odd said it was idiotic.

"How can you say that, Odd?" Sissi demanded to know once we were outside of class. "_Romeo and Juliet_ is one of the world's most romantic plays!"

"I disagree with that," I interjected before Odd could say anything stupid. "I don't really see it as a love story."

"Have you read it before?" Sissi asked me.

"Yeah, back in my old school. As my teacher once explained, it's mainly a lust story than a love story."

Odd began to giggle as Sissi's cheeks burned red. She was a lot more innocent than I thought.

"Think about it," I began. "Romeo and Juliet see each other _once _and they think its love at first sight. Love doesn't happen that way. You have to really get to know someone first before you can even think about the L-word."

"Okay," Sissi said begrudgingly. "But the way they died is romantic, isn't it?"

"This time, I disagree," Odd interjected with a smug smile on his face. "Like Carter said, it wasn't love at first sight. It was more like a short-lived passionate affair that had a disastrous ending. If the two of them stopped to think about what was happening before plunging headfirst into marriage, both of their deaths probably could have been avoided."

I gave Odd the once-over. "You've been hitting the books, haven't you?"

"I do occasionally study."

Sissi was staring at us, her mouth open. And then she huffed and stalked away from us. It was obvious that she believed in love at first sight and didn't appreciate the two of us stomping on her "star-crossed lovers" fantasy.

We heard clapping behind us. We turned to see Ulrich and the others staring at us. "That was a pretty solid argument," Ulrich told us.

"But you forgot one thing," Aelita pointed out. "Romeo and Juliet were willing to die for each other because of love. Wouldn't you do the same?"

Odd and I looked at each other. Other than in a joking matter, we never really said the L-word and meant it. We must have been thinking the same thing, because we both said, "Nah," at the same time.

That surprised our friends. "So, you're not in love with each other?" Jeremy asked slowly.

Odd winked at me. "We're stupid teenagers. We have all the time in the world to worry about stuff like that."

Devlin blinked. "That's…that's actually really mature of you."

"I try."

"Odd tries what?" Yumi asked, walking up behind Ulrich.

"Odd is now acting mature," Ulrich explained.

Yumi stared at Odd. "What the hell?"

"I do not appreciate that response!" Odd said hotly as we laughed at him. "Well, whatever, let's have lunch!" Aelita began walking away towards the mess hall, Jeremy happily in tow. "We'll be there soon!" Ulrich called to her.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yumi pointed to the crowd ten feet away from us. Sissi was proudly standing next to some beautiful blonde girl, and all the boys in our grade clamored for her attention.

We all walked over and conveniently saw Milly and Tamiya at the edge of the small crowd. "Who's she?" Yumi asked the two budding reporters who, for once, didn't have a camera and microphone on them.

"That's Sissi's overseas pen pal. Her name is Bringa," Milly quickly explained. "She's from Iceland."

I got a good look at the foreign girl. Her eyes were a sharp blue color, and her blonde hair was really pale. She was wearing a black athletic t-shirt and a green skirt that loomed over her knees, and simple brown leather boots. It was an odd combination of clothing, but she was able to pull it off and make it look good.

Yumi suddenly clapped her hands. "Time to wake up you two." I looked over to see Devlin and Ulrich staring at Bringa with dopey grins on their faces. Just like every other boy in the crowd, they had been smitten by the beautiful foreign girl.

* * *

><p>It didn't stop there.<p>

As we were eating lunch, we saw Bringa grab a tray and have all the boys let her cut through line. And then when she was going to sit down at a table, a random boy pulled out her chair for her and pushed her towards the table when she sat. And then when Bringa held up an empty glass, one boy actually got a pitcher of water and poured water into it for her.

And you know what really pissed me off? Bringa knew she was so pretty and expected boys to wait at her beck and call. She expected the five-star treatment and the guys gave it to her.

"What do guys see in her?" Yumi hissed, jealousy coloring her voice. "Look at the girls." Aelita pointed to the group of females surrounding Bringa. "They all want her beauty secrets."

"She seems kind of stuck up to me," Odd said. So he agreed with me.

* * *

><p>As we were walking out of the mess hall, Odd announced, "This weekend is totally for R and R for me." "Good thing," I told him. "I have homework I need to catch up on."<p>

"You should take a page out of my book and just relax."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to stop you there," Devlin said, stopping me from slinging back some snarky remark.

"So you're not going to the pool with Miss Iceland?" Yumi asked us. "Seems like everyone's going."

"We're not everyone," Odd reminded her. Devlin walked ahead of us. "I gotta get to the library. I'll see you guys later." Only he never got to leave, because he had accidently walked into Bringa.

"You should really be more careful, Devlin," Sissi said a little irritably. Unlike her pen pal, she wasn't getting the five-star treatment from anyone.

"Uh, right, sorry." Devlin tried to leave again, only to be stopped by Bringa. "Don't worry about it," she said in her soft, husky voice. Devlin blushed and smiled sheepishly.

And another boy fell into Bringa's trap.

* * *

><p>"Wow; she's just…wow," Devlin was saying in the rec room. We had taken over the foosball table, and Devlin was trying to describe to us what he exactly saw in Bringa.<p>

"Looks like someone's in lust," Odd whispered to me. I would have laughed if it was some other girl than Bringa.

I had the feeling that this crush Devlin had on Bringa would spell trouble for the rest of us.


	54. Chapter 51: Clingy Girlfriends

Chapter 51: Clingy Girlfriends

_I got this chapter up earlier than usual because on December 25 last year, I uploaded the first chapter of my very first story. It's hard to believe that a year has already gone by and I'm still writing this. It's all thanks to you guys; seriously, you guys are the reason why I wrote this story, and I hope you keep reading it until the end._

_Merry Christmas._

* * *

><p>"Let me guess: to you, Bringa is the Eighth Wonder of the World," Odd joked in the rec room. He had just beaten Ulrich at foosball after listening to Devlin's commentary on how beautiful Bringa was.<p>

And here we thought he could only say "wow" to describe her.

"I think Bringa has fried your brain," Ulrich remarked as Odd tallied the score for the game.

"You're just jealous that I caught her eye and you didn't."

"I swear, sometimes it's like you and Odd switched brains or something," I said. "What you just said was totally Odd-like."

"She's got a point," Aelita agreed, making Odd throw up his hands.

And then the door to the nearly empty rec room opened, and Bringa walked in, grinning. "There you are, Devlin. I was hoping to see you here. Would you please introduce me to your friends?"

"Of course," he said like an over eager puppy. "That's Yumi, Aelita, Carter, Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremy." He pointed to each of us respectively as Bringa walked up to us.

"Hi," Yumi said curtly.

"Hello," Aelita drawled out.

"'Sup," I said almost casually.

"How's it going?" Odd said in an almost welcoming voice.

Ulrich and Jeremy just smiled at her, trying to look flirtatious. Ulrich didn't need much help in that department. Jeremy, on the other hand...

"So are you the one called Einstein?" Bringa asked Jeremy. "You seem very intelligent."

"Yeah," said Jeremy.

"Ulrich, I hear you are the one interested in martial arts. Perhaps you could give me a demonstration."

"I'd like that," Ulrich said with a soft smile. In the corner of my eye, I could see Yumi tense up.

"I'd love to get to know all of you," Bringa said with childlike innocence before grabbing Devlin's hands. "Shall we go for a walk, _elskan_?"

"That means sweetheart," Devlin said smugly as he ran out of the room with Bringa.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Ulrich muttered, "What does she see in him?"

"He's got serious brains," Odd commented blithely.

"So do I, and I think I'm much more sophisticated than him," Jeremy said almost haughtily.

"That may be true, but it's much easier to talk to Devlin. Unlike you, he doesn't say anything to make us common folk feel stupid. And you gotta admit; our boy's got looks." Odd was seriously adding oil to the fire.

"You guys do realize you're talking about your friend behind his back," Aelita interjected. "Jealous much?"

"Hey, I'm backing him up behind his back!" Odd put up his hands in mock surrender.

"And what's this about sophisticated?" Aelita ignored Odd. "You're all pretty young and stupid to be fighting over a girl."

"I may be young but I'm not stupid," Jeremy said. "I was just working out the statistical probability of a girl as pretty and charming as Bringa falling in love with Devlin, who is her complete opposite."

"Opposites attract," Odd sang, much to Jeremy's chagrin.

"And what about you, Ulrich?" Now it was Yumi's turn. "Ever since that blonde ice cube showed up, you've turned into a complete doormat!"

"Why should you care? We're just 'good friends', that's all."

Odd and I looked at each other. That was _low_, but it wasn't like Yumi didn't deserve it. She was the one who friend zoned Ulrich after he tried so hard to win her heart; she kind of had it coming.

I face palmed. "This Bringa chick is messing with our heads."

Jeremy's face lit up. "I think Devlin needs an intervention!"

"Uh, how about no?" Odd said quickly.

* * *

><p>Devlin did not look happy to see us in his room in the evening. "What's going on?" he asked, closing the door behind him.<p>

"Devlin, we need to talk seriously," Yumi said solemnly.

"It's true," Ulrich agreed (shocker). "Ever since you started going out with Bringa, there's been a lot of friction in our group."

"That's not very good for our mission," Jeremy said awkwardly. "She's coming between us."

"We think the best thing for you to do is to break up with Juliet now, Romeo," Aelita finished.

"I want it on record that Carter and I had nothing to do with this decision," Odd announced, grabbing my hand. "We just came here because they asked us to."

"Fair enough, Odd," Devlin said seriously. "I'm glad to see that the two of you aren't jealous like the rest of our friends."

"Jealous?" Yumi started, but Devlin cut her off. "Yes, you're all jealous. The minute I try to get along with her, you all want to scratch my eyes out. This is your problem, not mine." Devlin began to open the door.

"Where are you going?" Ulrich asked him quickly.

"I got a date with _your_ problem!" And with that, Devlin slammed the door behind him.

And then the others reared their heads at Odd and me. "Nice support back there, guys," Yumi said meanly. Odd shrugged. "It's true; she may be messing with our heads, but it's not anyone else's problem but yours."

Odd and I stood up and went for the door. I was going to open the door, but I had to have my say. "I know you want Bringa out of the picture, but you're all forgetting one crucial detail: _Bringa's leaving in a few days_. We'll probably never see her again." I let them chew on that as Odd and I left.

As we neared Odd's dorm, I suddenly stopped. "Something wrong?" Odd asked me out of concern. "I…have a confession to make," I admitted. "I am jealous of Bringa." Odd was going to say something, but I forged on ahead. "I just hate how just because she's beautiful, she thinks that everyone will fall over themselves to do what she wants."

Odd just nodded. "That's a pretty good reason, actually."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to let it get to me," I vowed. "If she makes Devlin happy, then I'm happy for them both. Who knows? Maybe she's not so bad."

"Well that's real mature of you."

"You're acting real mature too. You're the only one who doesn't seem to be crazy over Bringa."

Odd shrugged. "That's because I already have someone I'm crazy over." And then he snaked his hand over the back of my head and pulled me towards him for a kiss.

* * *

><p>"I'm starting to think that Bringa is…possessive," Devlin revealed to me the next morning. We were outside the dorms waiting for Odd, seeing as our other friends we're still miffed at us. At least Aelita apologized to me last night after the intervention; she had thought it over and said we were right to say that it was everyone else's problem.<p>

Aelita was still jealous, but at least she was more open-minded now.

"Why do you think she's possessive?" I asked him as I watched him put his head in his hands. After a moment he looked up.

"I kept thinking of the fight I had with the others all throughout the date, and when I told Bringa about it, she said that I didn't need them as long as she was there."

I admittedly don't know much when it came to romance, but that sounded like something said in an abusive relationship. "What'd you say?"

"I told her that all of you are real friends to me and that I couldn't just let you go." Devlin looked at me sadly. "You guys are like the family I never had. I can't just give you up."

"Aw, dude, I'm touched," I said with an embarrassed little smile. Devlin snickered at my red face. "But did you tell Bringa that?" That made Devlin all serious again.

"Not like that. It was hard to explain without bringing up Lyoko and the project, but I somehow managed it." Devlin looked worried. "I don't know if she's convinced though."

"What'd you tell her?"

"I just told her that I've known you guys all my life and that we've been through a lot together. I didn't elaborate."

"That's sounds pretty convincing."

"But she didn't look convinced."

"What are you gonna do?" I inquired as Devlin put his head in his hands again.

"I guess I'll just act normal around her," he said finally. "Maybe she'll forget about it."

"_Elskan?" _Speak of the devil. Bringa was standing right behind us, looking pretty happy to see Devlin. I could hear him gulp beside me. "Morning, Bringa."

"Hi," I greeted casually. Bringa stared at me coolly, like I shouldn't be talking to her boyfriend. Just another reason for Devlin to think she was possessive.

"I'll see you later, Carter," Devlin told me. "I'm going to the pool with Bringa. Try to make sure your _boyfriend_ studies for that test Monday." He stared pointedly at me. What, did he think Bringa would come after me if she thought I had a thing for Devlin? I could take her in my sleep!

But just to appease Devlin, I said, "I'll make sure to bug _Odd_ about it." Before she pulled Devlin away, Bringa flashed me a kilowatt smile. She seemed pretty relieved to hear that.

After Devlin was gone, I got a text from Jeremy. _Something up with supercomputer; come to the factory._

"You got it too?" I turned to see Odd behind me with his phone out, the same text on the screen. "Let's go," I said, leading him to the forest.

* * *

><p>"You let her on Lyoko by herself?" I yelled at Jeremy in the supercomputer room. Ulrich and Yumi were already on Lyoko, but in the ice sector instead of the mountains. Something had bugged up the supercomputer, creating false alarms for XANA attacks. Aelita had gone to investigate the most recent one, and had met up with our good buddy William.<p>

"Will you just go to the scanners?" Jeremy yelled back, clearly regretting the decision of allowing Aelita's solo mission. "I'm going to try calling Devlin again."

"Don't bother; he's at the pool with Bringa," Odd explained. "He probably can't pick up his phone."

Jeremy face palmed and pointed to the elevator. "Just go."

* * *

><p>We ended up in the forest sector, but after getting the coordinates to the way tower, we got to the mountain sector in time to see Yumi destroy the last of XANA's monsters and to see Ulrich giving William a pretty good thrashing. Aelita was up in the sky, circling them.<p>

We would have gone to help Ulrich, but XANA sent some more toys for us to play with. "Don't get devirtualized before I can fix the computer," Jeremy warned us suddenly. "I'm not sure I can rematerialize you back on Earth."

"You tell us this _now_?" Yumi complained as she used her fans to deflect lasers from a Blok. Aelita shot an energy field at a tarantula, killing it. Odd used three laser arrows to destroy another Blok as Yumi killed hers, and I threw my daggers at another tarantula.

Safe to say it was a pretty boring fight.

We couldn't say the same for Ulrich, who was up against a rock with William ready to slash him in half. And then a blue laser hit William in the head, making him scream in pain and drop his sword as he grabbed his head. Ulrich took the chance and stabbed William, only to have him turn into black smoke and run away again.

We all turned to see Devlin grinning at us, a smoking gun in his hand. "Did someone call for a handsome Brit?"

* * *

><p>"Okay, we admit it, we were jealous of you and Bringa," Jeremy finally admitted. He had successfully fixed the supercomputer and brought everyone back to earth safely. We were all in the scanner room at this point.<p>

"We were acting like total jerks and you were right to say it was our problem," Ulrich said, looking sheepish.

"You could go back on your date with her if you want," I said as a peace offering.

Devlin smirked. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Why's that?" Yumi asked.

"Bringa may look amazing in a bikini, but she's too clingy," Devlin revealed. "And with her entourage of desperate boys constantly following her, I couldn't even talk to her."

"I guess the price of dating someone famous isn't really worth it," Aelita concluded.


	55. Chapter 52: The Problem With Kiwi

Chapter 52: The Problem with Kiwi

"For the love of all that is good and holy, WILL YOU STOP FOLLOWING ME?!" I shouted at William in my Nav Skid as he tailed me through the red Digital Sea.

"Carter, we need those eardrums!" Ulrich shouted back at me as he tried to intercept William.

Jeremy had convinced us to go out on another mission to destroy a Replika. We were all on board of course, but then William had to crash the party. And now I was trying to get away from him because I had already used half of my ammo on him and I couldn't waste anymore.

"Carter, I'm coming on your left," Odd told me calmly. "Alright then," I answered back before I dodged the torpedoes William sent my way. I swam as far away as I could from William and let the others do the rest.

"Hey, Tall, Dark, and Handsome," Odd joked to William. "You'll never get her to like you if you don't learn to back off." And then Odd got his Nav Skid all up in William's face and tried to escape, prompting William to follow him. William chased after him, and Aelita told me, "Okay, Carter, it's safe to come back now." I sailed towards the mother ship and connected my Nav Skid in its special holder.

As I watched from my safe spot, I saw that XANA had created a new pet: a shark type of monster. It spewed out a laser from its mouth and hit Yumi, which sent her on a downward spiral of low energy. Ulrich immediately got it to chase him, and Yumi was able to get herself to the Skid safely.

"You guys are really getting low on energy," Jeremy said from the real world. "We'll have to abort the mission."

"Already?" Devlin whined. "We didn't even get close to the Replika!"

"That's my point," Jeremy pointed out. "We have a long ways to go, and with XANA harassing us all the time, it's too dangerous."

"Aelita, I'm coming in on your left," Odd announced, still with William on his tail. "Aelita, you get Odd onto the Skid," Devlin ordered. "I got Pretty Boy."

As soon as Odd appeared near the Skid, Devlin prepared the torpedoes. Once Odd swerved downwards, Devlin shot at William, who narrowly dodged the attacks. In the meantime, Odd got onto the Nav Skid at the same time Ulrich did.

"Hey, I think we're getting better at fighting in the Digital Sea," Odd exclaimed happily.

"Just because our fighting techniques are improving doesn't mean we've improved overall," Jeremy said. "It's too dangerous; I have to bring you in."

"Rotation," Aelita announced as we rotated out of our position. Just then, the shark that Ulrich supposedly lost found us and was about to attack when Aelita shot a torpedo at it, killing him.

"Nice, Princess," Ulrich congratulated her. "He overstayed his welcome."

* * *

><p>"Another mission down the drain," Jeremy complained as we all stepped out of the elevator. At this point, we were too tired to care. Fighting on Lyoko and another sleepless night was taking its toll on us.<p>

"What were we trying to do again?" Ulrich asked before he yawned loudly.

"It's just a simple procedure," Odd explained. "We construct an intermediate digital sinus with intergalactic media context while multiplied by the virtual factors of theorems of Greek philosophers."

"That was a perfect imitation of Einstein," Devlin said, not bothering to hide his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah," Jeremy said begrudgingly. "What do you say we all just go to sleep?"

"Great idea," Yumi said cheerfully.

* * *

><p>"Okay, what happened?" I asked when I finally met the others by our usual bench. "Did some prank go horribly wrong and you're all blaming Odd for it?"<p>

"Worse; Kiwi," Ulrich snarled, glaring at Odd. Odd looked at him guiltily. "He's not that terrible," he protested. "Is he?"

"Do you want to bet?" Ulrich asked. "Do you think I like the idea of having to sleep on wet sheets every time you forget to take him on a walk?"

"Put yourself in his place. The poor little thing's all locked up all day."

"'The poor thing,'" Jeremy mocked Odd. "How do you think I feel when he chews up my textbooks?"

"By the way, paper makes Kiwi sick. If you didn't leave your books all over the place, there wouldn't be a problem, right, Aelita?"

"And what about me?" Aelita started. "Is it my fault that Kiwi steals stuff and buries them on campus grounds? Mr. Riley thinks I'm a nutcase!"

"I had to help you find some of your stuff, remember?" I reminded her. "So Mr. Riley thinks we're both nutcases."

"Yes, and I'm very thankful for that," Aelita said. "It's just that whenever the gardener comes around, he always spots me first."

"Pink hair, remember?"

"You're not helping, Odd," I told him.

"I'm sorry Odd but something's gotta be done," Jeremy said, standing up with the others. "He's gotta be punished, and that's that."

"Objection, your honor!" Odd said hotly. "Before you go sentencing my dog, he has the right to a lawyer. Carter?" He looked hopefully at me.

Now, I had nothing against Kiwi since he never chewed on any of my stuff or hide it or peed on my bed, so I was going to cave when Jeremy interjected, "He chewed up the book you got me for Christmas."

"I paid good money for that book!" I exclaimed, glaring at Odd. He shirked back and turned to Yumi, who said, "I wouldn't mind, Odd, but after what he did to my new shoes last week, no."

"Devlin?"

"Sorry, dude, but he chewed up some of my clothes. Like that Pink Floyd shirt Carter got for Christmas."

"Seriously?" I shot Odd a murderous look. He tried to back away from me, but since he couldn't go anywhere away from the circle, he was stuck near me. Odd sighed heavily. "Okay, what's the sentence?"

"To make Kiwi understand that his bad behavior is unacceptable, Kiwi has to stay in the factory for two weeks," Judge Jeremy decreed.

"What?! Two weeks in the factory? How could you do that to him?"

"It was easy," the rest of us said, walking away. "Odd," Aelita began before walking with the rest of us, "he'll be fine there. The factory's not so horrible."

"Not so horrible?" Odd complained. "Staying in a computer lab for hours may be fine for Jeremy but not for my dog."

* * *

><p>I was in my room doing homework when I got the call from Aelita. "XANA's launched an attack in the desert sector," was all she said before she hung up on me. I immediately dropped what I was doing and went to get Devlin. "I got the message," he said when he opened the door. We immediately ran out the building and into the forest clearing. We both took scooters to the factory-we had to buy them out of our own pocket money, which sucked- and were there before Einstein and Aelita got there.<p>

"Hey, guys," Odd called from Kiwi's new home. It was just a dog bed with a bunch of toys and some dog food around, but it would have to do.

"Go to the scanners," Devlin ordered us. "I'll virtualize you onto the desert sector."

* * *

><p>Jeremy and Aelita finally got to the factory by the time Odd and I were in the desert. "Hey, what's the problem XANA's caused this time?" Odd asked.<p>

"Kiwi," answered Jeremy.

"Don't pin anything else on my dog!"

"No, not you're Kiwi, _my_ Kiwi. The robot I created to play basketball. He's been XANAfied and multiplied and has Ulrich and Yumi trapped in the gym."

"A robot dog playing basketball?" I looked at Odd for an explanation. "Last year there was a robot competition, and Einstein created the Kiwi 2," he explained. "Back then he didn't hate my dog."

"We don't have time for this, Odd! I'm sending Devlin and Aelita your way. The tower is northwest of your position," Jeremy nearly yelled.

We waited a minute for Aelita and Devlin to show up, and Jeremy materialized the Overwing and Overboard for us. The guys went on the board, girls went on the wing.

"Why is it like this?" Odd said as we blasted off.

"Both you and Devlin have aerial projectile weapons, making it easier for you to hit XANA's monsters from above," Aelita explained. "In other words, you two make a great team," I simplified for Odd's sake.

As we neared the tower, we noticed the serious lack of creatures. "That's weird," Aelita noted. "XANA would have sent us a welcoming party by now."

"I say we go now when the going is good," Devlin said. "The faster we do this the better it is for Ulrich and Yumi."

"Aelita, Carter, on your right!" Jeremy yelled just as a black energy blast knocked us both off the Overwing. Oh, great, it was William.

"We were expecting you!" Odd sang as he went towards William. He fired some laser arrows at him, only to have him knock them back with Zweihander. He then summoned his personal mantis.

Since when could he bring that out of Sector Five?

William jumped on the mantis and flew over to Odd and Devlin. He sent a wave of energy from his sword at them, but they jumped off the Overboard simultaneously and shot at William. One of Odd's laser arrows hit the mantis; one of Devlin's bullets grazed William's shoulder.

By then Aelita and I had gotten up from the desert floor. As William began to duel with the boys, Aelita summoned her angel wings and began to fly away towards the tower. I stayed behind in case XANA did anything funny.

"Guys, we have to shift it into high gear," Jeremy told us. "Ulrich's hurt and Milly and Johnny aren't doing much better."

"This isn't exactly paradise J-man!" Devlin said as William used his super smoke ability to get away from him. But instead of going after Aelita like he usually did, he went after me.

As soon as he appeared, I stabbed him as fast as I could, but he just knocked my weapon aside. One dagger couldn't possibly beat Zweihander. But instead of devirtualizing me, William froze me with his black smoke. I couldn't move anything except my eyes, which I used to glare at Captain Cocky.

"That's right, soldier," he mocked. "Get angry."

"Get away from her!" I heard Odd shout as he shot laser arrows at William. Without letting go of his hold on me, William flicked them away with his sword. I saw Devlin run away to help Aelita out with a tarantula problem, and I knew Yumi and Ulrich were probably out of commission.

I gotta hand it to XANA; he's a damn good strategist.

I was starting to see violet, and no matter what I tried I couldn't calm myself down. And then I was lifted up in the air and levitating towards the Digital Sea. I could hear Odd and William fighting, but William still managed to move me towards the edge of the cliff.

It wasn't until Aelita got into the tower that William stopped levitating me. Unfortunately, I was over the edge by then, and William smirked as I plunged feet first towards the water.

I summoned my demon wings and flew out of there just as Aelita deactivated the tower. William angrily launched an energy blast at me, but I dodged quickly. Just as I was about to attack, the world went white.

* * *

><p>We were all in Ulrich and Odd's room after the return to the past, and we were about to discuss Kiwi's fate.<p>

"He _did_ reload my arrows," Odd pointed out. I didn't remember when that happened; I was probably too busy freaking out to notice.

"What are you trying to say, Odd?" Devlin inquired.

"That heroes don't sleep in abandoned factories!"

Jeremy thought about it. "Ulrich, it's your call. After all, you're the one he shares a room with."

"What?" Ulrich said distractedly. "Oh, yeah, he can come back home."

"Something wrong, Ulrich?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about something else."

"Oh yeah!" Odd cheered. "Just you wait and see, he's a brand new dog! He's much more cunning, much better behaved-"

"Hey, Odd," Yumi began, looking at Odd's feet. "Your pants. What happened to them?" I looked down to see the cuff of Odd's jean chewed on.

"Oh, uh, that's for ventilation. It gets so hot here at school."

"It was totally Kiwi," I said with a smirk.

"I told you it wasn't him," Odd protested. "Can we go and eat now?"

* * *

><p><em>During the episode Canine Conundrum (episode 86), Jeremy was attacked by XANA in the supercomputer room and Kiwi accidentally reloaded Odd's arrows. During that time, Jeremy was too busy fighting for his life to notice what was going on with Carter and William on Lyoko. <em>_Does that explain everything?_


	56. Chapter 53: The Space Project

Chapter 53: The Space Project

_To **jeremy13**: No, I will not continue up to Code Lyoko: Evolution. I have other stories I want to work on_, _and I have a lot of school related things happening in the future._

_That reminds me..._

_Yeah, there's not going to be a sequel to this. I'm busy and I don't have the imagination to continue. I was planning on making the sequel set in the future, like a next generation thing because the project's been almost completely destroyed. They're going to need new test subjects, and since Devlin and Carter would be adults by the time they started the project back up, they would try to kidnap their kids. _

_But like I said, I have no idea how that would work out. So no sequel. Sorry about that._

* * *

><p>"You have to tell them," Odd told me sternly. It was the next day, and the two of us were supposed to be in the library, but Odd refused to budge from the dorm doorway so we could leave.<p>

I sighed. I really did not want to talk about what happened the last time I was on Lyoko-no one had noticed anyway, what with being attacked by robot Kiwis' and all. But I knew that Odd and probably Devlin would be on my case until I did, so I conceded with, "I'll tell them if it happens again."

"If it happens again, you'll probably be wiped out in the Digital Sea!"

"No I won't. I'll probably go all super soldier on William before that happens."

Odd looked at me with a look that was part fear and part skeptical.

"I swear to God, Carter, you're more reckless than me."

* * *

><p><strong>That afternoon<strong>

"This is it! It's the end of the world!" Odd came running into Jeremy's room where the rest of were, looking unimaginably freaked out.

"What happened? Did they run out of spaghetti and meatballs in the lunchroom?" Ulrich deadpanned without looking up from his magazine.

"Even worse than that! I just ran into Jim and Delmas and they're making a surprise inspection on the dorm!"

"Wait, didn't they make one a few weeks ago?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah, but this time they're looking for appliances that could be fire hazards."

"But there's nothing dangerous here," Jeremy said reasonably. "There are no electrical appliances anywhere."

"I have one," I revealed. "I need to hide my hairdryer."

"Forget about your hairdryer! What about Kiwi?" Odd pointed to his dog, who was napping peacefully in the middle of the room.

"Do we have enough time to hide him in the factory before math?" Devlin asked. "In ten minutes?" Jeremy looked at his watch.

"I wouldn't have wanted to leave him in that cold, dark factory anyway," Odd dismissed. "He hasn't been himself lately." He suddenly dropped to his knees, heads in his hands. "It's all over for my little diggity dog. They'll send him to the pound, or worse, a travelling circus strapped to a rocket and shot out of a cannon! Unless…" Odd looked at Yumi hopefully. "Yumi, you don't have class for another hour…"

"Don't even think about it!"

"Yumi, please, you're his only hope!"

"The answer is no!"

"Please take pity on a poor, defenseless puppy!"

"You know if there's one thing my father can't stand its pets that shed!" Yumi glared at Odd, who had his hands up in the begging position.

"Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty-"

"Oh, just shut him up already!" Now Devlin was pleading with Yumi. She had no choice but to give in. "Alright, Odd, you win this time!"

"Oh thank you, Yumi! I could just kiss you!"

"No you won't." I glared daggers at Odd while he gave Yumi a bone-crushing hug. He let go quickly and put his hands up in mock surrender.

* * *

><p>Yumi had just zipped Kiwi up in her backpack when there was a knock on the door. Jim barged in with Mr. Delmas in tow, holding numerous electrical appliances in his arms. "Well, Ishiyama, Della Robbia, Stern, Belpois, Stones, Green, and Wilder, all together in the same dorm. They don't look like they're in a big hurry to get to class," Jim said to Mr. Delmas.<p>

"Well, I better be going," Yumi said, hurrying out the door.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe Jim said my hairdryer was a fire hazard!" I fumed to Aelita as we made our way to math class. "I can't believe you took your American hairdryer to a school in France," Aelita countered.<p>

"You would have known if you had seen it."

"Anyway, American plugs don't use as much energy as the ones in Europe," Aelita explained to me. "Even if you did have a converter-"

"Which I most certainly did!"

"It still would be considered dangerous," Aelita finished. "Well, now I have to buy a new one. Its gonna be so expensive," I whined as I entered class.

* * *

><p>Odd ran out of the classroom when the bell rang to find Yumi by the school's only vending machine outside the rec room. "Well, how is he?"<p>

"No sweat," Yumi said blithely. "Hiroki's watching him."

"Hiroki? Are you nuts? Don't you remember what he did to my poor Jean-Pierre?"

"Jean-Pierre?" I asked Ulrich. "His old Tamagutchi," Ulrich answered. He turned to Odd. "Sad; we're all still in mourning."

Odd immediately got out his cell phone and dialed a number. "What are you doing?" Devlin asked Odd, who ignored him. "Wait a second, Hiroki, don't hang up. This is Odd." But then Hiroki hung up on him a few seconds later.

"Nice to know you trust me," Yumi said sardonically.

"You don't understand! Kiwi happens to be a very sensitive dog." Devlin was about to say something about that, but Jeremy happily interjected with a, "The super scan has just picked up a new Replika!"

* * *

><p>"Remember, guys, the more Replikas we destroy, the more we weaken XANA," Jeremy reminded us as he virtualized Yumi, Aelita, and Ulrich.<p>

"And don't forget that if we find the new supercomputer, we might be able to find out what XANA's plotting," Devlin said for Odd's and mine benefit.

It took only a minute for Jeremy to virtualize the three of us onto Sector Five-it had been a while since we were here. We landed in the circular room where a single door opened up for us.

After getting to the docks, Jeremy energized us into the Skid, where Jeremy released the docking mechanism and where Aelita and Devlin skillfully got us out there and into the Digital Sea.

"What do you think the new Replika will look like?" Devlin asked as we swam through the digital water.

"I think it's going to mimic the ice sector," said Yumi.

"My guess is the mountains," said Ulrich. "What do you think Odd?"

"I think I should have fed him more tofu kibbles."

"That actually exists?"

"Yes, Carter, it exists!"

"Hey, don't get your tighty-whiteys in a bunch!"

"Guys, will you please focus?" Jeremy pleaded. "We have to be on the lookout for any sign of XANA."

"Replika in sight, Jeremy," Aelita announced as the gates appeared. It took less than a minute for Jeremy to figure out the access code and get us in.

"Looks like we were all wrong," Devlin remarked. "It's a replica of Sector Five."

As we entered into the sphere that looked suspiciously like the Death Star, Jeremy said, "I just located a tower by the north pole of the sector. I'll guide you to it."

"Looks like you're in the driver's seat," Aelita said as Jeremy took over. He directed the Skid through the outside of the sector and towards the top, where there was an opening. The room inside looked exactly like its original on Lyoko.

Aelita took over then and docked the Skid to the tower. "Odd, Carter, would you two like to volunteer?" Jeremy was, of course, talking about destroying yet another XANAfied supercomputer.

"Sure."

"Aye-aye, Captain Einstein!"

"Will you give the bad jokes a rest, Odd? I'm activating the tower for our own use." A moment later, the white aura around the tower turned green. "Ready for teleportation?"

"Just say the word," I told him.

"Teleportation." And I was out of there.

* * *

><p>"So, which continent did you guys land on this time?" Jeremy asked us. "None of them," Odd answered truthfully.<p>

"What? Are you guys in the ocean or something?"

"That's one guess," I said. "Try again."

"…outer space?"

"That's right," Odd said, floating towards me. We were in a cylinder and the gravity had been shut off. I was having the time of my life, just bobbing around, feeling weightless and having fun.

"Amazing," Jeremy said breathlessly. I began to float towards the window, and the sight took my breath away. "Odd, look at this."

Together we saw the Earth, a blue and green planet that looked absolutely beautiful from up here. I wonder why XANA was always trying to destroy it.

"According to your coordinates, you two are in the brand new international space station, four hundred kilometers above the Earth," Jeremy revealed from the factory.

"This is great!" Odd exclaimed. "We can find some astronauts and get their autographs."

"I wouldn't bet on that. The station is uninhabited right now. The next team isn't coming for another ten days."

"…Way to be a party-pooper, Einstein."

"It leaves us enough time to destroy the supercomputer," I said hopefully. "Be on your guard, though," Jeremy warned us. "You never know what XANA has up his sleeve."

"Up, up, and away!" Odd launched himself towards the ceiling in the Superman pose, just barely bobbing his head on it. "Hey, I wanted to say that!" I said immaturely.

"Well, say something else!"

"To infinity, and beyond!" I giggled ecstatically as I glided through the air with Odd. I was totally betting that Jeremy was wishing he was us right now.

It took only a minute for Odd to open the vault like door. The other side revealed a factory line of white spheres in a circular computer lab full of the most advanced technology Earth had to offer.

"Jeremy, there's an assembly line of little metallic spheres here, like mini mega tanks," I reported. "You think XANA's manufacturing them?" Odd asked me.

"They look harmless enough."

"They could be minor or something major," Jeremy told us. "They were definitely not created to serve mankind. Leave them alone and find that supercomputer."

"Don't touch!" I swatted Odd's hands away from the mini mega tanks. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the cylinder room to find that supercomputer.

As quickly as we could we floated across to the other side, where another circular room was. Only this one was full of seats connected to one giant, metallic mechanism.

"Jeremy, I think we just found the supercomputer," I reported triumphantly. "Perfect timing, because XANA's trying to wipe out the Skid," Jeremy informed us. "You better take it out now, and try to make it look like an accident. The space station is too well known; we don't want any rumors about sabotage."

"How do we do _that_?" I asked as Odd examined the computer. "You're the scholarship student; you can figure it out." Odd sucked at cheering people up.

"I'm just good at studying. That won't help us now."

"I hope Hiroki gave Kiwi enough to drink." Odd pouted at me.

"Are you seriously still on about that?"

And then Odd grinned. "Water; that should work." I cottoned on. "We'll create some water damage! There has to be some water floating through one of these things. Nice job, Odd."

"I try."

"Now if only you tried harder in school."

"Don't push it." The two of us searched through the pipes going through the room to cool down the supercomputer and listened for any signs of water flow. I heard it on the left side of the room. "Over here!" Odd hovered over to me and listened in.

And just then three mini mega tanks appeared, floating through the air towards us. They started spinning, and one of them grew spikes all over itself.

"Odd, watch out!" I kicked Odd in the gut and sent him away from me just as the spiked ball slammed itself between us.

"We gotta get out of here!" Odd led us out of the supercomputer room and slammed the vault door on those silver, spiky orbs. They lodged themselves into the metal, and then the metal turned red, and the orbs began to _melt through the door_.

"XANA's really having a ball," Odd joked nervously. "Err, lots of them."

"Stop joking, Odd!" I yelled at him. "Those things could reverse the rotation of the station! If we fail the mission, XANA wins."

"Yeah, yeah, I got that." We hovered away from the melting door and thought about what we should do next. Odd spied a controller and smirked. "It's a bit stuffy in here. I should air the place out."

"Odd, you can't do that!" I gasped.

"Why not? If I don't do that, we'll be bowling pins!" He pointed to the door, which had just been melted completely through and now the spiky balls were after us.

"Hang on tight!" Odd pulled the red lever and the wall behind us opened up, revealing the dark, bleak vacuum of space. I grabbed onto the other side while Odd hung onto the lever as the vacuum tried to pull us out of the space station.

His crazy plan worked; the balls that were going to kill us were sucked into space, even though they desperately tried to resist the pull. One by one, the three of them were gone, and Odd was able to pull down the lever to close the hatch.

Once we were back to floating in the air, Odd joked, "Much better. Now it doesn't smell like an astronauts dirty socks in here."

I glared at him. "I don't know whether to kiss you or to kill you right now."

"I'll take the kiss."

I raised an eyebrow. "It'll have to wait. We have to destroy the supercomputer first."

"Damn it!" But Odd followed me through the melted door and back into the space station's supercomputer room. Before he did, he grabbed a hammer so he could do some water damage.

"I hope they got insurance," Odd joshed as he smashed the pipe. Water floated out of the hole like small, grayish blobs and promptly splashed onto the computer, which had the XANA eye on it. The computer fizzled and began to spark.

"It's working, Jeremy!" I cried out triumphantly. "Yeah, and it's about to blow," Jeremy warned us. "I have to get you out of there!"

But before that, I had a promise to keep.

Just before he devirtualized the two of us, I grabbed Odd's face and put my lips against his. He stiffened, but fell into it just as the supercomputer exploded.

* * *

><p>When we woke up in the Skid, William was holding Aelita captive in his black fog. With one hand, William slashed Devlin into pixels. He gave Jeremy enough time to get Odd and me out of the Skid.<p>

"Leave my friend alone!" I cried out, throwing my dagger at William's shoulder. It hit, and he let go of Aelita, who fell to the ground. William tried to go after us, but he was tired and outmatched compared to Odd, who was hitting him with laser arrows with unusual gusto.

Defeated, William jumped off the deck and escaped. I didn't get to see where he went off to, because Jeremy interjected with, "I don't want to be a pain, but if I were you, I would want to get out of there."

Aelita was up and running with us as Jeremy got us back into the Skid. Just as the Replika began to disintegrate, Aelita maneuvered us out of there quickly. We heard the explosion a long ways away.

* * *

><p>"Why are you so happy, Odd?" Ulrich asked in the factory's supercomputer room. "Mission accomplished, that's all," he said, that goofy grin still on his face.<p>

"Is that all?" Devlin inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…"

Remember Kiwi, Odd," I sang, casually looking at my nails.

"Oh, that's right. I'm coming for you, my little diggity dog!" Odd ran out of the room and into the elevator, near to bursting as Yumi joined him.

"Oh, and one more thing," Odd said as he smiled evilly at me. "Best-"

"Remember Kiwi!"

"Space-"

"Shut up, Odd!"

"Kiss-"

"Oh, God, why?"

"EVER!"

"DAMN IT ODD!"


	57. Chapter 54: Cousins Come and Go

Chapter 54: Cousins Come and Go

"I totally bet we can beat you guys at foosball!" Aelita announced to Ulrich and Odd as Yumi and I stood in the background. It was after school, and were by the math wing.

"I totally bet you can't!" Odd countered as Ulrich and Devlin tried to ignore him (no small feat, either).

"Why, are you scared of getting beaten by a girl?" Aelita sneered at him, a nasty surprise on her pretty, elfin face.

"Oh, it's on! Ulrich, wanna help me teach Aelita a lesson?" Odd asked hopefully. Ulrich shrugged. "Sure, but who's gonna be Aelita's partner?"

"I'd rather sit this one out," I said, trying to suppress a yawn. "All that studying for that math test really wiped me out."

"I'll do it," Yumi said. "All right then!" Odd said as he got out his phone. "I'll call Jeremy and see if he wants to come."

"I doubt that," Devlin told him. "He's been working on another program for the Skid or something. He'll say that he doesn't have time for it."

As Odd speed-dialed Jeremy's number, we all went strolling towards the rec room. "Hey, Jeremy!" Odd said into his phone. "Come to the rec room with us! Aelita and Yumi said that they could beat us as foosball, and Ulrich and I are gonna teach them a lesson."

We didn't hear what Jeremy said, but from the way Odd cringed, we could tell Jeremy was yelling at him. When he finally got off the phone, Odd turned to Devlin and said, "You were absolutely right."

* * *

><p>Odd was so worked up over Jeremy hanging up on him that he forced all of us to go to the dorms with him so he could give Jeremy a piece of his mind. But we found a surprise when we got there.<p>

It was a boy that looked just like Jeremy, but without glasses and with brown, spiky hair. He looked cooler too, with a black t-shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket on his well-built frame.

"Jeremy, you created a clone?" I asked in surprise when I got a better look at Jeremy Clone.

"This is my cousin Patrick. He's gonna be a student here at Kadic," Jeremy explained, looking kind of angry. The rest of us ignored him as we crowded around Patrick, who looked a lot more relaxed than his cousin.

"I'm Ulrich," Ulrich introduced himself. "Another Belpois, huh? Are you also a genius?"

"Oh, no, I'm not as bright as Jeremy," Patrick admitted, looking at his angry cousin with pride.

"You think he's bright?" Odd joked as he jerked a thumb at Jeremy. "If you ask me, he wears kind of drab colors."

"Yeah, well, compared to how you dress, I guess anything would seem kind of dull," Patrick said truthfully. It was still funny, so everyone snickered at Odd's expense.

"Hey, this is a classy outfit," Odd protested. "It's based off of Kung-Fu Commando."

"That's a great game," Patrick said appraisingly. "I guess you're stuck on level seven, because at level eight the clothes get a lot more tame."

This was news to Odd, who was staring at Patrick like he got the biggest shock of his life. But I did find it surprising that Odd chose his outfits off of videogames. I thought all that purple was his idea.

"You two should get along just fine," Ulrich said, "another junkie for joysticks. And here I thought we had someone new for football." He must have meant the sport Americans called soccer.

"I don't just play videogames; I'm a Tae-Kido two," Patrick revealed.

"Oh, really?" inquired Ulrich, who was warming up to him. "I prefer Pencak Silat myself. We could train together."

"Yeah, that's great," Jeremy suddenly interjected. "I have work to do, so everybody out! I have a report on the Vikings and their legendary ship the Skidbladnir, remember?"

"Right, we should probably ship out," Devlin said as he held the door open for Aelita and Ulrich, who walked out of the room. "We have a date with a foosball game, anyway. Wanna join us, Patrick?"

"That'd be really great!" Patrick exclaimed. "You're friends seem really nice, Jeremy."

"Yeah, that's exactly what you're after, so leave them alone!" Jeremy accused him. I didn't know the history between those two, but I thought that was a little harsh of Jeremy to say. But I didn't want to get involved, so I left with the others.

"What a family reunion, huh?" Yumi deadpanned as we walked through the halls. Aelita began to pat her pockets. "I forgot my mobile, I'll meet you there." She ran past a sullen Patrick, who had just left Jeremy's room.

* * *

><p>"What's taking Aelita so long anyway?" Odd complained as he and Ulrich fought against Yumi and Patrick in foosball. Devlin and I were in the background in the rec room, both just watching the game. I was feeling kind of sleepy, but all the noises coming from the others kept me awake.<p>

"I really wanted to teach Aelita a lesson," Odd said as Yumi scored a point. "Kind of like the one we're teaching you now?" Yumi teased, grinning.

Odd pointed an accusing finger at her. "You don't deserve the credit! It was Patrick's pass!"

"If Jeremy wasn't stuck to his computer all day, he might be able to play like you!" Ulrich praised Patrick, who looked kind of sad at that. "Well, I wouldn't be too hard on him," he said. "It must be harder being a genius at math than playing foosball."

"I should know," said Devlin from our spot in the corner. "Oh, shut up." I playfully nudged him. "You're just as much of a slacker as the rest of us."

"I wouldn't count you as a slacker, Miss Scholarship Student," Devlin joked, nudging me back.

"You're a scholarship student?" Patrick interjected, looking at me with pleasant surprise. "You must be really smart to get one to this school."

"Nah, I just study a lot," I said, downplaying my intelligence.

"Don't let her fool you, Patrick," Odd told him. "She's got some serious brains. She'd had to if she can help Ulrich with science."

"And she'd have to be a genius if she can tutor you in math," Ulrich shot back, making Odd glare at him.

Patrick was looking at me like he was seeing me in a new light. "Beauty and brains, huh," he said, smiling at me.

Odd was looking at Patrick kind of weirdly, so to avoid a confrontation, I quickly asked, "Why does Jeremy treat you like dirt? I mean, you seem nice to me."

Patrick was about to answer when Aelita walked in, looking pretty serious. "Guys, there's been a little change of program," she alluded.

"XANA?" Yumi whispered. Aelita nodded. Patrick, who had no idea what was going on, looked at the two of them quizzically.

"Sorry, Patrick, we have something to do," Ulrich told him as we all left the rec room.

"Who's XANA?" Patrick asked, totally mystified.

* * *

><p>We met up with Jeremy in the sewers. As we skated towards the factory, Odd asked, "Did you install the program?"<p>

"The program's running," Jeremy explained. "I left my computer working while I'm gone. The update with install itself directly on the supercomputer."

"But won't Patrick see it?" Devlin asked as he skated next to Jeremy. "I locked my room. He can't get in until I get back," Jeremy reassured him as we neared the manhole cover that would lead us to the bridge.

* * *

><p>We were in the Sid, just cruising towards the new Replika when a trio of sharks attacked. Aelita disengaged Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd as the sea turned scarlet.<p>

I tried to watch the battle to see if the others needed help when Devlin tried to start up a conversation. "I think Patrick has a thing for you." I swear he was smiling evilly when he said that.

"So did a lot guys before I dated Odd," I countered, because it was true.

"Yeah, but it looks like he a thing for beautiful brainiacs." Was Devlin trying to get me mad?

"If that's the case, then he might have a thing for Aelita," I said. I felt a little bad bringing her into this, but if Devlin was right, then Jeremy had some serious competition and the two cousins did not need any more bad blood between them.

"I seriously doubt he has a thing for me," Aelita told us hotly. "We haven't even spoken to each other yet."

"That could change now that he's a student here," Devlin warned her. Aelita was going to say something when Devlin suddenly said, "Jeremy, the protector shield just dropped all of a sudden."

"I'll check it out," Jeremy said. After about a minute, he ordered the Nav Skids back to the mother ship. "What's wrong?" I asked Aelita.

"We don't have a shield anymore!" Aelita exclaimed as a shark shot a laser at the Skid. Instead of it bouncing back, though, the shot hit the Skid and sent it towards the bottom of the sea. And to make matters worse, the shot resonated into my Nav Skid; I hit my head on the back of my seat, making me woozy.

"Jeremy, we've lost all power!" Devlin shouted as Aelita began to panic. "We don't have any more control!"

I tried to focus my attention on the problem at hand, but I had a wicked headache. All I knew was that Jeremy had lost contact with Aelita and Devlin, and they couldn't disengage me to fight the sharks still after us due to the lack of power. And to make matters worse, the Skid was being swept in a digital tide.

The others swam as fast as they could towards us as Jeremy told us that the program had bugged up, leaving Aelita and Devlin and me defenseless.

The trio of sharks still hadn't given up, and they were shooting at the others while they tried to get to us. I wished I could help them, but with the Skid careening out of control and the lack of power issue, I could only watch helplessly as my headache receded.

"Oh, great, an activated tower in the desert sector!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Change of plan, guys. We gotta get Aelita onto Lyoko. I'll activate a firewall in the system so none of you will have any trouble while I'm gone." And with that, Jeremy left us to debug the program in his room.

"Guys, can you read me?" I asked over the intercom. Since the Skid was careening away from the others, I couldn't tell where they were.

"Skid to Nav Skids, can you hear me?" Devlin tried as Aelita began to calm down. And then something jostled the Skid, knocking me around. I spied a purple leg clamp onto my Nav Skid as something heavy settled onto the ship.

XANA had sent a sea spider to get rid of us.

I could vaguely hear a drilling sound as one of the legs stuck to safety glass of my Nav Skid. I could hear Aelita and Devlin scream over the intercom. I was screaming too as cracks like spider webs appeared in the glass due to the pressure from the spider.

Raw fear was coursing through my veins. I couldn't attack or do anything as XANA tried to get rid of the three of us. My hands gripped the sides of my chair and my knuckles turned white. I tucked my legs towards me and tried to squeeze towards the back of my Nav Skid. It wouldn't do much good if the glass cracked and digital water seeped in, but I wasn't thinking rationally right then due to intense fear.

I thought I saw the other Nav Skids pass over us, but I must have been hallucinating. Why would they leave us like that?

Unless something happened on the other side to destroy the firewall.

We were so screwed.

My throat grew sore from screaming, and all I could do was gasp as the leg began to penetrate through the safety glass.

Where the hell was Ulrich and Yumi and Odd?

Just as I was beginning to accept my death, the spider monster pried itself off the ship. The power was coming back on in the Skid, and I was no longer terrified for my life.

In fact, I was seeing violet.

"Devlin, Aelita, you guys think you can disengage me for a little bit?" I asked hoarsely, my throat still sore from all that screaming.

"Go for it!" Devlin yelled as he disengaged my Nav Skid. At full power, I blasted off towards the spider monster, which was trying to swim away from me.

It hid behind a column, but I was hot on its heels. Nearly colliding with the column, I accelerated towards the target as I aimed my torpedoes at it. It dodged to the left before I could fire, but I followed it, nearly crashing into another column.

Before the monster could get away, I shot a torpedo at it, watching as the shot terminated the monster in a fiery explosion. I cheered as I steered my ride towards the Skid.

"Good to hear you're alive, Carter," Ulrich told me over the intercom. "Ulrich, thank God!" I said, relieved. "How are things on your side?"

"Got two more sharks to deal with. What's the deal with that monster?"

"Destroyed it," I said blithely as I neared the Skid. I could see Ulrich's Nav Skid trying to dodge a shark and Yumi and Odd trying to hit another.

"Need any help?" I offered. "Help would be greatly appreciated," Ulrich affirmed. He glided past me, a shark shooting lasers at us both. I swam up to Shark Face and shot at it, but missed.

I accelerated my vehicle away from the shark towards a column, going as fast as I possibly could. Just before I hit the wall, I jerked my Nav Skid up, sliding up to the surface. I could feel the vibrations of the shark exploding underneath me.

Giving a victory cheer, I connected back to the Nav Skid just as Yumi destroyed the last shark. The others connected to the Skid just as the sea went back to its normal cerulean color.

* * *

><p>Two tarantulas were guarding the activated tower when the Skid finally reached the desert sector of Lyoko. Aelita and Devlin piloted us a safe distance away and disembarked all of us.<p>

"Thank God; I was getting virtual pins and needles," Odd joked when we were all on the ground. I rolled my eyes as the tarantulas started shooting at us.

We got out our weapons and prepared to attack, but Aelita clearly wanted to get on with the mission, since she immediately fired a pink energy shield at a tarantula, destroying it.

"You just want to ruin our fun, don't you, Princess?" Ulrich complained as he deflected lasers with his sabers.

"We don't have time for this!" Aelita yelled at him. "Jeremy's in trouble!"

"The girl's got a point," Devlin said, leveling a gun at the last tarantula. With a single, well-aimed shot, the tarantula exploded. The others whined as Aelita ran into the tower. The tower almost immediately turned white, and we were all instantly devirtualized.

* * *

><p>I got my cell phone out as soon as I was back in the real world. I waited for the others to virtualize as I tried reaching Jeremy's cell.<p>

"Any sign of him?" Aelita asked me worriedly. I shook my head. "He's not answering his cell phone."

"But he might answer Patrick's," Ulrich said, dialing his number. After about a minute, he hung up. "We need to launch a return to the past."

"Why?" Yumi asked him.

"Patrick's in trouble."

* * *

><p>It was the same afternoon all over again. We had already acquainted ourselves with Patrick, and Odd was telling him to join us in the rec room.<p>

"Let's all go!" Jeremy said, closing his program. "But what about your report on the Vikings?" Aelita asked.

"It can wait. It's not every day you can hang with your cousin," Jeremy said, smiling at Patrick. He smiled back.

* * *

><p>It was evening, and we were all back in the dorms. We had just received word that Patrick was getting transferred out of Kadic, even though he hadn't been here a day. It was sad, but we would deal.<p>

I was alone in my room; Aelita was with Jeremy. I was idly surfing the Internet when there was a knock on my door. I got up and opened it to see Odd standing in the hallway.

"Something wrong, Odd?" I asked, looking around to see if Jim or anyone else was in the hallway. There was no way I was risking losing my scholarship because Odd wanted a late night chat.

"Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure." I widened the door so he could walk in. As I shut it, Odd asked, "Did something happen on Lyoko?"

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"When we were in the Digital Sea, I saw you go after that spider monster like a maniac. What happened?"

The image of that purple spider leg nearly penetrating the safety glass of my Nav Skid flashed before my eyes. Without meaning to, I began to shake. "I got scared," I murmured as I closed my eyes.

I could feel Odd wrap his arms around me in a comforting hug. "Sorry for not getting there in time," he said bitterly. I clutched the back of his shirt and willed the tears to go away.

"There was nothing you could have done."


	58. Chapter 55: Ironic Little Smirks

Chapter 55: Ironic Little Smirks

_Not much action in this chapter, but I was able to delve a little more into the relationship between Aelita and Carter. I've done Yumi, Ulrich, Devlin, and Odd, but not much with Aelita and Jeremy. I'll try and see if I can squeeze in some more character bonding._

* * *

><p>I was sitting in class, taking notes like a good student when I heard Odd grumble to Ulrich, "All sold out; not one ticket left."<p>

No doubt he was talking about the Subdigitals concert tonight. Aelita was opening for them (all of her hard work paid off!) and she was giving us each a free ticket. At least, I thought she was.

I leaned over to Aelita and asked, "You got us all tickets for the concert tomorrow, right?"

Aelita gave me a sweet little smile. "I sure did. Remind Odd that, would you?"

* * *

><p>Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, and Devlin and I were at the vending machine just hanging out and talking about the concert.<p>

"The Subdigitals, huh?" Ulrich flipped through his magazine. "I liked them better as the Subsonics."

"I like their new name," Aelita said, opening a can of soda.

Yumi chose that moment to walk up to us. "So, Aelita, are you ready for your big night tonight?"

"Don't even talk about it," Aelita told her. "I'm so scared."

"Welcome to stardom," Devlin deadpanned, putting a few coins into the vending machine.

"Check this out," Ulrich sad, holding up his magazine. "'In our next issue, an exclusive interview with Aelita Stones, Kadic's brightest new star.' Did you know about this?"

"Milly and Tamiya haven't stopped hassling me about that interview," Aelita said tiredly. "But I didn't promise them anything."

Odd looked at me. "Why didn't we do that when Milly and Tamiya were hassling us?"

"…I have no idea," I said slowly.

"Those two are always looking for every little gossip," Ulrich remarked affectionately about Milly and Tamiya.

"Forget about that stuff," Yumi told Aelita. "Think about the concert."

"I thought she didn't want to think about the concert," Devlin said, taking a sip of soda.

"I don't," Aelita agreed. "Whenever I do I get major butterflies in my stomach. I wish I could stop thinking about it. I want to get my mind off it for a little while. I'll go see if Jeremy wants any help with his calculations. See you."

Aelita took off; she apparently found a way to get her mind off things.

Odd turned to Devlin. "Shouldn't you go with her?"

"Why?"

"To, you know, do calculations and stuff."

"I may be a genius, but I'm also a teenager," Devlin reminded him. "I don't really want to spend my time in front of some computer all day."

"You'd rather rock out, right?" I smirked at him.

He gave me a conspiratorial wink, making everyone look at us questioningly.

* * *

><p>I found Aelita in our room after school, crying her eyes out.<p>

"What happened?" I asked her, sitting down next to her on her bed.

It took Aelita a moment to stop crying long enough to tell me. "Well, I went to Jeremy's room to see if he needed help on his new program. When he didn't, we got to talking about the concert and I said I was really nervous about it. And then he said that he would be late for what may be the most important night of my life!"

"That douche bag!" I cried, jumping off the bed. "I am totally going to kick his ass for this! Maybe I can get Odd and Yumi and the rest of the guys to help me. Yeah, we'll gang up on him and beat the crap out of him!"

"…That's scary, coming from you."

"I was just trying to cheer you up," I told her, settling back down on the bed. "Did it work?"

I didn't have to ask. Aelita's eyes were still kind of red and puffy, but she had stopped sobbing, instead opting to laugh at my bad attempt at cheering her up-it worked, though, so I don't think it was totally horrible.

"What do you want to do?"

Aelita thought for a moment, and then said, "I have to give the others their tickets. And then I'm going to go that concert and give it my all!"

"That's right! Show Jeremy what he's missing!" I cheered, throwing my fist in the air. And then I said, "So…when do I get my ticket?"

* * *

><p>"Hey guys," I said, smiling happily with my concert ticket in my back pocket. We were all in the rec room; the others minus Jeremy had been chilling out on the couches when Aelita and I walked in.<p>

"I'm here to give you guys your tickets," Aelita said as we sat down. She put the tickets on the table, but the others weren't grabbing them just yet.

"Something wrong?" Devlin said. "Your eyes are puffy."

I shook my head violently as a warning, but Aelita just put her hand on my shoulder. "It's just something on account of Jeremy," Aelita told the rest of them.

"So Einstein wins another first round of diplomacy?" Odd joked, hands behind his head as he casually sat on the couch.

Aelita gave him a sad smile. "I guess you might say that."

"Aw, relax, princess," Ulrich told her comfortingly. "You'll see, you'll bring the house down tonight."

"Definitely," Devlin said, giving her a thumbs up.

"For sure," said Yumi.

Aelita grinned happily. "Don't get there too late. The crowd's going to be really big."

* * *

><p><strong>That night, at the concert<strong>

The Subdigitals were playing at this ritzy little dance club that I had never heard about. The place was packed full of teenagers just milling about or at the bar or at the front entrance, waiting for their dates.

The Lyoko Warriors were backstage, away from all that nonsense. Devlin knocked on the door and just barged in on Aelita putting on her makeup.

"SURPRISE!" we all yelled, startling her even more.

"We wanted to see our favorite star before she got too famous to see us," Odd joked as we walked into the dressing room.

Aelita, putting on face powder, said, "Don't be silly. I'm really glad to see you all. Umm, didn't Jeremy come with you?"

"Sure he did, but we lost him in the crowd," Ulrich said quickly.

"Yeah, you know J-man, a great head for math, but it's always stuck in the clouds everywhere else," Devlin agreed.

"Don't worry, he'll be out there, listening and cheering you on," Yumi said cheerfully.

"I sure hope so," Aelita said, crestfallen.

"Oh, will you forget about him?" I snapped at her. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

"This is the biggest night of your life, and if he won't be here for you, then I say forget about him!"

"Carter!" Yumi hissed, shocked.

"Yeah!" Devlin cried out suddenly. "Not only do you look amazing, but you are going to bring this house down! So get out there and rock on!"

Aelita began to giggle, which went against her punk look of a dark pink tank top with a skull on the front, black leather wristbands, a short red ruffled skirt, pink and black stockings and little black boots.

"Aelita, you have five minutes until you're on," a female voice from the other room said. We took it as our cue to leave her to concentrate.

"'So go out there and rock on'? Where'd you pull that from?" Odd asked Devlin in the empty hallway.

"Spur of the moment. But it sounded cool, right?"

"Right," Ulrich said slowly as we inched closer to the stage. A few minutes later, the lights began to dim, and the teens in the crowd began to whistle and cheer.

Yumi suddenly got out her phone. "Calling Jeremy?" I asked her. She just nodded as she dialed her phone.

As Yumi talked with Jeremy, Odd said excitedly, "Its Aelita's turn now."

I looked expectantly up at the stage to see our favorite pinkette, but instead of announcing Aelita, the Subdigitals suddenly walked onstage to their adoring fans.

"Where's Aelita?" I said, looking over at Yumi. She looked at the rest of us grimly.

"XANA's got Aelita."

Instead of running to the factory immediately, we went backstage to see if Aelita was okay.

We found her unconscious and slung over the shoulder of some lady with orange hair. The XANAfied lady snarled and ran down a hall, and we tried to follow her only to have XANAfied Milly and Tamiya stand in our way.

"You think their angry because they blew a scoop?" Odd asked jokingly.

As we backed away, Ulrich said, "I'll try to distract them. You guys go get Aelita."

"I hope you like dealing with the press," Devlin said as the rest of us went after Aelita.

* * *

><p>When we got to the factory, Aelita was nowhere to be seen. We went down the elevator to the scanner room just in case.<p>

Instead of Jeremy sitting at the supercomputer, there was the woman who kidnapped Aelita.

"Let's bust some heads," I said as I ran up to the lady, ready to pummel her to the ground. The lady shot some electricity at me, but I narrowly dodged and punched her in the face, knocking her away from the supercomputer.

Yumi used some of her Pencak Silat to jump kick her in the head, knocking the XANAfied lady to the ground.

We heard clapping behind us. "I am so glad I never get you guys angry," Devlin said with a half-smile.

The elevator door opened again, revealing a bruised Jeremy holding some rope. "Where's Aelita?" were his first words.

"She already got virtualized on Lyoko," Odd told him tersely.

"You guys get to the scanner room," Devlin ordered us. "I'll stay here with Jeremy and keep guard of her." He jerked a thumb at the unconscious woman.

* * *

><p>When we found Aelita, she was on another mountain with William hounding her over the air on his mantaray. There was another one aimed directly at Aelita, along with a Blok.<p>

Yumi threw one of her Tessan fans at William, narrowly missing his head.

"Nice shot," I said sincerely, since it got his attention.

"Ready for the tall, dark and handsome bad guy?" she asked me.

"I think we have an audience," Odd said, pointing to the two krankelets behind us.

"Jeremy, we need some transport. We can't reach Aelita otherwise," I told Jeremy as I watched the pinkette run desperately towards the tower with two monsters on her tail.

As Jeremy pulled up the vehicles, William tried to take a shot at us. We all somersaulted out of the way just as the two krankelets shot lasers at us.

As Odd took care of those, Yumi used her fans to absorb some of William's shots. "You take William, I'll help Aelita," I told her as Jeremy finally virtualized the vehicles.

I immediately jumped on the overboard and sped off to help Aelita. I got out one dagger and threw it at the mantaray, watching as it careened to the side before exploding.

Aelita took that moment to shoot at the Blok with a pink energy blast, making it explode.

I maneuvered the overboard to Aelita's side so she could hop on. As we blasted off towards the tower, I said to her, "Sorry you had to miss your concert."

"That's not important right now. William's mantaray is after us!"

I looked behind me to see the black and white sea monster after us without its rider on board. Yumi must have gotten rid of William.

As I was debating how I could fling a dagger at it while steering the overboard when Aelita started letting the energy fields fly. She threw the energy blasts vehemently, like she was unbelievably fed up and decided to take her anger out on William's pet.

When it finally exploded, I landed the overboard at the tower so Aelita could jump off. "That was scary, coming from you," I told her honestly, with a little ironic smirk on my face.

"…I don't think I want to hear that from you," Aelita told me before she ran into the activated tower.

* * *

><p><strong>One return to the past later<strong>

"You have to seriously make it up to Aelita," I told Jeremy over the phone. I was at the concert with the others waiting for Jeremy to come so we could talk to Aelita backstage.

"I know. That's why I'm getting her flowers, for luck," Jeremy said. "Do you think it'll work?"

"I think so," I said happily before ending the call.

"Well?" Ulrich asked me. We were all outside the backstage door, waiting impatiently for something to happen.

I grinned. "He's getting her flowers as an apology."

"Now that's what I call sentimental," Devlin said as the rest of us cheered happily.


	59. Chapter 56: Maniacal

Chapter 56: Maniacal

_Sissi plays kind of an antagonistic role in this chapter-just like old times!- but all together she's still being a nice person. So for this chapter, when Sissi goes to her father, its just honest curiosity instead of devilish reasons, like in the canon._

* * *

><p>It was lunch time, and Odd was barely eating.<p>

"Odd, you only took two rounds of seconds. Are you sick?" I asked, really concerned.

"I just don't feel that hungry is all," Odd mumbled.

"It's the end of the world!" Devlin cried, flinging his hands in the air melodramatically.

"Do you want to wear today's lunch?" Odd yelled, jumping out of his seat.

I put a hand on his arm. "Don't flip out; we're just worried. You not being hungry is kind of a shocker."

"When you think about it, it was probably bound to happen," Ulrich said reasonably as Aelita finally joined us.

"Hey, is Jeremy still at the Hermitage?" Yumi asked her as Aelita began to pick at her food.

"No, he's in his room. He said he wasn't hungry."

"That makes two people," Ulrich said, smirking at Odd. Odd stuck his tongue at him.

"What'd he find this time?" Devlin asked Aelita.

"He said there might be something in an old picture we found," Aelita answered, looking really down. She was clearly still sad about losing her old life to some computer program. Who could blame her?

* * *

><p>We were all walking to our next class-Jeremy had shown up at the last minute- and Jeremy was talking about how the code he found in that picture was just a formula to start up the supercomputer.<p>

"It wasn't what I was looking for, but it could come in handy one day," Jeremy concluded, holding the picture in his hand.

"So the picture's not so top-secret after all?" Odd said quickly, looking anxious.

"No, but we should still keep it a secret. We wouldn't want to put a picture of Aelita and her father into the wrong hands."

"You mean like in Sissi's hands?"

Oh dear God, what had Odd done?

"You didn't," Aelita said, horrified.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Odd quickly defended himself. "I was trying to send a picture through my email on Jeremy's computer, and I accidentally sent the wrong one to Sissi."

"How did you mess that up?" Devlin said, totally confused.

"I don't know!"

And just because the situation couldn't get any worse, Jim appeared out of nowhere, looking pretty miffed. "Hey Stones, Della Robbia; the principal wants to see you in his office on the double. And the rest of you, go with them. I'm sure Mr. Delmas has a bunch of questions for you too."

"But, sir, we have to go to class right now," Yumi said, trying to buy us some time. You know, like to go to the factory and reverse this entire mess?

"You heard me." Jim pointed in the direction of the principal's office, and we had no choice but to go.

* * *

><p>"Okay, young lady, no more funny business," Jim told Aelita sternly in the principal's office. "I've cracked a lot of harder nuts than you. So tell the truth- first name; last name; occupation."<p>

"Uh, Aelita Stones, student," Aelita said.

"You think I'm an idiot, don't you?" Jim yelled. "Jim, calm down," Mr. Delmas said. "There's no need for the third degree. It's just a few questions to ask, that's all."

"Sorry, sir."

Mr. Delmas put a picture on his desk. It showed Franz Hopper with his arm around a younger Aelita, who was wearing a frilly pink dress and snuggling into her father. They were in some sort of study, with a bookcase taking over the entire right half of the picture and a chalkboard right behind Hopper. He was sitting behind a desk, his back to the chalkboard. Both Franz and Aelita were smiling.

"What intrigues me about this photograph is the presence of both Franz Hopper and Aelita Stones," Principal Delmas said. "And from the look of things you both seemed to be very close too. And so the obvious question is whether you name really is Aelita Stones."

"Yes sir, Aelita Stones is my real name," Aelita responded. "My parents are Franz and Anthea Stones."

Jeremy made some sort of noise from the back of his throat. It reminded me of the sound a dying cat would make.

And are you really Canadian?" Mr. Delmas continued. I didn't know if he heard Jeremy or not.

"Yes, I am."

"And are you really an orphan?"

"Yes, I am."

"And is Odd Della Robbia really your cousin?"

"Yes, he is."

Jeremy suddenly walked up to the desk, right in between Odd and Aelita. "Excuse me, sir, but if you look at the photograph you would see that Aelita is around twelve years old."

"Yes, and what of it?" Mr. Delmas inquired.

"And you said that Franz Hopper taught here at Kadic about nine years ago? So if that were Aelita in the picture, she would be around twenty or so."

Mr. Delmas thought it over. "Very interesting. And while I am checking this out, you are all confined to the library under Jim's supervision for the rest of the day."

* * *

><p>We were all in the library, Jim watching over us while he was reading a comic book. The rest of us were doing homework, except Jeremy, who was doing something on his computer.<p>

Suddenly, the computer began to beep. "An activated tower?" I asked. Jeremy nodded. I seethed; of _course_ XANA would act now.

We were so concerned about the tower that we almost didn't hear Mr. Delmas walk through the library door. Jim immediately hid his comic book away and went up to his boss.

"Miss Aelita Stones, I would like to have a word with you alone," Mr. Delmas said, not sounding like himself. "Jim, make sure the others don't leave this library."

Now that worried me.

Aelita stood up and walked out of the room with Mr. Delmas. But before they left, Delmas turned back to us to make sure we got a good look at the XANA eyes behind his glasses.

"No, Aelita!" Jeremy jumped out of his chair and tried to run after Aelita, only to have Jim block his way. "Where do you think you're going, Belpois?" Jim asked.

"It's Delmas; he's been XANAfied. Aelita can't go with him."

"Everyone, go back to your seats!" Jim ordered us when he saw us all crowding around him.

"Jim, Aelita's I serious danger," Devlin said.

"You wanna play hardball, huh? Well, if you wanna get through me, you have to use what you learned in commando camp."

"Fine by us," Jeremy said. "CHARGE!"

Jim just stood there, frozen, as the guys tackled him to the ground. Forcing him on his stomach, Jeremy ordered, "Someone get some rope! We have to tie him up!"

* * *

><p>When we got to the factory, the principal was waiting for us.<p>

"Go get Aelita! We'll handle this," Devlin said as he and Odd faced Delmas. The rest of us ran the long way to the supercomputer, which meant less time to save Aelita.

When we finally got to the forest sector, Aelita was being chased by a giant jellyfish.

Yeah, I was really trying to wrap my head around that one.

"What _is_ that?" I asked disgustedly.

"That's the scyphozoa," Jeremy quickly explained. "If it captures Aelita, it'll erase her memories or put her under XANA's control. Defeat it, quick!"

"Don't need to tell us twice," Ulrich said, getting out his sabers. On that signal, we all ran towards the jellyfish monster, who was trying to capture Aelita with its gross tentacles.

And of course, XANA had to send two krabs to stop us.

Without any hesitation, Yumi flung two of her fans at them while Ulrich jumped on top of a krab and stabbed it in the XANA eye, making it explode.

While they were busy with the shellfish, I went after the scyphozoa, daggers drawn. I found Aelita struggling in its grasp as it tightened its tentacles around her waist.

I threw my dagger at it, hitting it in the giant, bulbous head. The scyphozoa slowly turned to me and actually dropped Aelita. She landed on her ass and looked at the scyphozoa, dumbstruck.

I used telekinesis to get my dagger back and braced myself for a fight. Aelita quickly got her bearings and flung an energy field at the monster, knocking it towards me a little.

The tentacles quickly circled around me, and a red aura enveloped me. It made me drop my daggers; not that I could use them anyway, since my hands were stuck to my side.

I could feel myself being lifted up into the air, and the tip of two tentacles touched my temples, making the sides of my head feel slimy. My eyes widened as data was implanted into my head. It was like Vivian was implanting data in my head back at the project, telling me how to kill monsters.

Only this time, the data was telling me to devirtualize my friends.

I could vaguely hear someone shouting my name, but it was like they were calling me from far, far away. I felt weak and helpless, something that I loathed experiencing.

And then I was unceremoniously dropped on the ground, my head hitting the ground hard enough to knock me out.

* * *

><p>Aelita had tried to get Carter away from the scyphozoa, but XANA had sent a Blok after her, distracting her from saving her friend. When she finally destroyed it, the scyphozoa had done its job and dropped Carter on the forest floor.<p>

Yumi and Ulrich had finally finished up with the krabs and were running up to the two of them. "What happened?" Ulrich demanded to know. "Why did it go after Carter?"

"I have no idea," Aelita said. And then she realized something. "The super soldier project; XANA might have the codes for it."

"So that means…" Yumi began to say when Carter began to stir. One part of them immediately wanted to back away-they knew what Carter was capable of in _that_ state- but the compassionate side of them wanted to make sure their friend was okay.

Carter's eyes flickered open, and she sat up, head in one of her hands. She was breathing heavily.

"Carter?" Yumi reached a tentative hand out. "You okay?"

Carter snatched Yumi's hand and twisted it, making her scream out in pain.

"Never better," Carter said her voice husky. She was smiling, and as she lifted her hand from her face, her violet eyes glittered maniacally.

"Shit!" Ulrich swore as he and Aelita backed away. Carter slowly got up, dragging Yumi up along with her. Without any warning, Carter punched Yumi in the face, letting go of her hand so Yumi went far, about ten feet.

Carter turned around just in time to see Ulrich attack her, using both of his sabers. Carter slapped her hands around both blades like she was praying, trapping the swords in the palms of her hands. Ulrich tried to wedge free, only to have two daggers stab him in the back.

Carter was really getting the hang of her telekinesis.

The daggers suddenly dislodged themselves from Ulrich's back, making him scream out in pain. The daggers flew into Carter's outstretched hands, and she instantly flung one of them at Aelita, hitting her in the shoulder blade as she tried to run away.

"You guys are so easy to beat," Carter taunted, her voice sounding like she smoked a pack a day. "I can't believe XANA's having a hard time taking over the world if you're the threat."

Not buying the bait, Yumi just flung her Tessan fans at Carter, who caught them both in midair. She threw them back at Yumi, who fell on the ground in an attempt to dodge. When the fans came back to Carter, she broke them in half by slashing her dagger.

Aelita had already begun to run away, nearing for the tower. That was fine by Carter. It wouldn't take her long to take care of the others.

"You wanna fight, Carter?" Ulrich said, recovering from the dagger attack.

"Always," she answered with an arrogant, ugly grin on her face.

Ulrich yelled a battle cry as he ran at Carter using his super sprint. Carter waited for just for the right moment before stepping to the side throwing her arm out, knocking Ulrich in the throat. As he was gasping for air, Carter lifted him up like a rag doll and threw him at Yumi, who didn't dodge in time.

"You're boring," was all Carter said as she ran after Aelita.

Aelita wasn't that far ahead, but the tower was. It wouldn't be any fun for Carter if Aelita got into that tower before Carter could fight her. So she upped the ante on the running, quickly catching up to the pinkette.

Just as Aelita was about to get into the tower, Carter threw a dagger at Aelita's back, getting her right in the middle. Aelita fell to the ground with a cry of pain, and she screamed again as the dagger was telekinetically dislodged out of her back.

"Aelita, you only have sixty life points left!" Jeremy warned her, thoroughly panicked. "You have to get into the tower and deactivate it. Maybe it'll turn Carter back to normal."

Easy for Jeremy to say; he didn't have someone standing over him, daggers aimed at his throat.

Carter looked bored. "Stand up. It isn't that much fun if you're just lying there."

"Really?" Aelita said as she stood up, faking her bravado. "Normally you'd be fine taking someone out like that."

Carter looked at her, puzzled, and Aelita took the chance to throw an energy field at her. Carter just used a dagger to swat it away. It hit the tree next to them.

"You don't have to do this Carter," Aelita said, edging away slowly. Carter slowly advanced to follow her. "The reason why you can't enjoy fighting is because you're hurting your best friends."

"That didn't bother me back at the Core."

"That was because the scientists were using you. XANA doesn't have as much control over you. You can fight him!"

Carter paused and put a hand to her temple. She blinked and looked at Aelita. "That's easy for you to say."

"But it's not impossible," Aelita said, standing up slowly. She was so close to the tower… "Just remember your friends. Remember how Odd wasn't feeling well this morning? Or how Yumi and Ulrich totally belong together even if Yumi's afraid to admit it? Or how Devlin is funnier than Odd? Or how Jeremy almost never sleeps and how I worry about him? Can you remember that?"

"Yeah," Carter said slowly, a soft little smile gracing her features. "Those were fun times. I wanna go back to that."

"And you can!"

Carter looked at Aelita, then at the tower right behind her, then back at Aelita.

"Don't you have a job to do?"

Aelita grinned and turned around, no longer afraid of getting stabbed in the back. As she entered the tower, Carter sat cross-legged on the ground, staring at one of her weapons, at how wickedly sharp the silver blade was.

Carter had been programmed to kill, and Vivian had always made sure she was compliant to her orders. The punishment for disobedience was steep, so Carter always steeled herself for whatever the white coats threw at her. She even began to enjoy it, thanks to them.

But now Carter enjoyed being with her friends more. They were warm and friendly, the opposite of the project. She wanted to go back to that, even more than she wanted to kill.

But that instinct would always be inside her. Carter figured that it was okay to lose control of it, just as long as the killer instinct was against XANA. Yeah, that could work.

Carter put her dagger away in her silver sheath belt and tucked her legs towards her chest, hugging herself. She could vaguely hear running in the distance, and she turned to see Ulrich and Yumi running towards her.

They began to slow as soon as they saw her like that. "What's going on?" Yumi asked tentatively.

Carter gestured to the tower. "Aelita's taking her sweet time devirtualizing the tower." Just as she said, though, the tower turned from red to white.

"Good timing," Carter said casually. "Now Jeremy can do a return to the past and restart the whole day."

Ulrich was concerned about the way Carter was talking. It sounded ethereal and soft, like she was in a dream. "Are you okay?"

Carter looked at him with those violet eyes, only they weren't maniacal anymore. They seemed softer, almost tired.

As the forest sector began to burn white for a return to the past, Carter asked something that made them glad they couldn't answer.

"Why can't you two just go out already?"

* * *

><p><em>Not a whole lot of action this time around, but I got a sense of closure when I proofread this chapter. I like it.<em>

_Tell me what you think._


	60. Chapter 57: Meeting the Parents

Chapter 57: Meeting the Parents

_To be honest, an idea has been nibbling my brain ever since Evolution episodes came out with English subtitles. I have to wait and see how the season pans out, but I might do a story that'll involve the super soldier project and almost all the characters involved in it. It'll be a completely different story from this, but the same idea's there. _

* * *

><p>"I'm banned from Lyoko?" I said, not quite following.<p>

It was after lunch after the return to the past. No longer worried about the picture and how devastating it could be for Aelita, Jeremy had decided to go on to more pressing matters.

Like keeping me off Lyoko.

"I wouldn't say banned," Ulrich said helpfully. "More like under surveillance. XANA went after you last time and tried to turn you against us."

"It didn't work, though," Devlin pointed out. He always was on my side of things.

"But he could do it again," Jeremy said seriously. "And just because you couldn't devirtualize Aelita the last time doesn't mean you won't try again."

"It wasn't that I couldn't devirtualize Aelita," I mumbled. "It was more like I wouldn't."

"You wouldn't," Yumi repeated.

I thought for a moment; how could I phrase this? "I think I've finally come to terms with the whole project thing. The white coats programmed me to be this evil, bloodthirsty monster and I tried to repress it. That cost me big time when it came to fighting William. And now that I've come to terms with it…"

"She can control it now," Devlin finished for me.

"So the whole personality switch is a program planted in your head?" Odd asked one step behind the others.

"I think so." I looked at Devlin for confirmation. He nodded a yes back.

"But how do we know you can really control it?" Jeremy asked pragmatically. "Just because you won over your dark side this time doesn't mean XANA won't find another way."

"Do you honestly think he'll bother?" Devlin inquired. "From what I know of XANA, he doesn't try a failed attack pattern twice. Like the time he tried to throw that meteor at the academy, or when he created all those Kiwis."

"Most of the XANA attacks were situational, though," Jeremy pointed out. "If it weren't convenient for him, he would have tried something else."

"That's true," I admitted.

"But Carter failed to devirtualize Aelita," Devlin argued. "Not only that she can control her dark side now. XANA can't use her anymore if he wanted to."

"You gotta admit, Carter did seem pretty defeated when we found her near the tower," Ulrich said to Yumi. "It seemed like she lost the will to fight us."

"Lost the will to fight?" Jeremy repeated, looking at me with one eyebrow raised. Oh, great, a new reason to take me off Lyoko.

"To fight her friends," Devlin explained, looking kind of smug. "She can still fight XANA."

"Can you guys not discuss me like I'm not here?" I asked, annoyed. "I can speak for myself."

"I'm just backing you up," Devlin said, backing off. "You know, like a certain guy should be doing."

Everyone turned to look at Odd, who said sheepishly, "I'm neutral."

I shrugged. To be honest, I was okay with that. Odd knew these guys longer than he knew me, so he should naturally go along with the others. Sure, the romantic, mushy side of me wanted Odd to back me up, but my practical side seemed to be winning.

"What do we do?" Aelita asked the million dollar question. It seemed fitting, since her life was on the line here.

Jeremy thought for a moment before finally saying, "The next time XANA attacks, Carter stays off Lyoko unless it's an absolute emergency."

"So now William goes back to throwing Aelita into the Digital Sea," I mused. Then I realized something. "I can act as bait."

"What?" Odd asked confused.

"If XANA's still after me, we'll know it when William suddenly stops trying to throw Aelita into the Digital Sea and goes after me," I explained. "If that happens, Aelita can run away to the tower."

"Yeah, but XANA usually sends other monsters after her while he's busy with you," Ulrich pointed out. "Even if you do act as bait, Aelita still gets the short end of the stick here."

"Good point. But we won't know if XANA's really done with me unless I'm on Lyoko."

"Which is why we'll only send you in if there's an emergency," Jeremy said firmly.

I sighed. "You win, J-man."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

I was walking down the dorm halls with Jeremy, Devlin, Aelita, and Yumi when we saw Ulrich banging on his door, naked except for a white towel wrapped around his waist.

I had to resist the urge to giggle as I averted my eyes.

"Stern, what do you think you're doing, walking around half naked?" Jeremy joked in an unusually deep voice. Ulrich laughed at him and said, "That's a pretty bad imitation of Delmas."

"…I was imitating Jim."

"Then that means it was really bad," Devlin said with a snort of laughter.

"Mind explaining why you're standing out here like that?" I asked him, no longer trying to look away.

"I've been standing out here for fifteen minutes. Odd refuses to open up."

"How come?" Aelita inquired.

"Who knows? He won't even answer me."

"Allow me," Jeremy said. He banged on the door and shouted, "Odd, if you don't open this door right now you can forget my portion of food!"

Ulrich smirked. "Nice try, but it's not going to work."

"Let me try," I said. I was about to knock on the door when we heard the sound of the doorknob unlocking on the other side.

"The food threat never fails," Jeremy said smugly. He opened the door wider and said to Ulrich, "After you."

We all walked in to see Odd huddled on his bed, looking pretty peeved. "What's with you Odd?" Devlin asked, concerned. "Are you upset about your film?"

Odd had been working on a film recently, and it had been selected to be viewed by the entire 10th grade. Something he should have been proud of.

"It's not that," Odd said quickly. "It's not the first time my films would be screened for an audience of ignoramuses."

"I'm debating whether or not I should be angry at that," I said with an annoyed huff.

"Don't be. I'm mad because my parents are in town to see the film." Odd looked so dejected that I couldn't stay angry in with him.

And then I realized that Odd's parents were _going to be at the academy_. Why didn't he tell me this sooner?

"And that's bad because…" Devlin made that circular wave motion with his hand to tell Odd to get on with it.

"You didn't have a fight with them, did you?" Ulrich asked, since he should know.

"No, just the opposite." Odd got up from the bed and began to pace the room. "Teenagers are always having lots of conflicts with their parents; a generation gap. Except for me. Their always quite supportive and understanding. They're just perfect."

"I'll trade you mine for yours anytime," Ulrich deadpanned.

"If there was only something we could fight over, so I could finally be a normal adolescent."

I couldn't believe Odd. Didn't he realize how lucky he was to have parents like that? Kids like Ulrich would trade a body part for parents so understanding! But when I thought about it, it _was_ a bit weird for them to not fight about something. They had to disagree sometimes, right?

According to Odd, they didn't.

* * *

><p>It was mid-afternoon when Odd got the call from his parents. They were going to be at Kadic's front steps in a few minutes, and they wanted to meet Odd and all of his wonderful friends.<p>

"They didn't happen to mention meeting your wonderful girlfriend, did they?" Aelita flashed me an evil little smile that looked _so_ wrong on her pretty, elfin face.

"Actually they did," Odd admitted. "From what I told them, they think you're amazing."

I hated myself for blushing. "What exactly did you tell them?"

Odd clammed up and almost pushed me out the door, where we were supposed to meet the Della Robbia's.

A slender lady with her long purple hair wrapped in a bandanna and a dark pink dress over her figure was Mrs. Della Robbia. A brunette man with his hair in a typical army haircut and wearing jeans and a black shirt showing off the army tattoo on his muscular arm made up Mr. Della Robbia.

Mrs. Della Robbia immediately kissed Odd on the cheek while his father patted him on the back. "How's it going, kid?" asked Mr. DR.

"Pretty good," Odd said gruffly.

"We missed you so much!" Mrs. DR gushed. "You look wonderful. You still got that great appetite, don't you?"

Odd didn't answer.

Without missing a beat, his father looked at us and said, "You must be his friends. Odd talks a lot about you."

"How do you, sir?" said Aelita.

"Hello," went Jeremy, Yumi, and Ulrich.

"Good afternoon," said Devlin.

"Hi," I said nervously. From the ten seconds I got from meeting Odd's parents I could tell that it would take a lot to get them angry. Maybe they wouldn't hate me for dating their son.

"We're really delighted to meet you." Mrs. DR held out an orange wrapped present for Odd. "I got you something to wear at the screening. You should try it on."

"I'll try it on later. I'm really much too busy right now." Odd said that in such a way like he was trying to make his parents angry. Then I remembered the conversation we had earlier.

As Odd ran back into the building, his father said, "He's probably just uptight for the screening."

"That's understandable," his mother agreed. "After all, it _is_ a premiere."

* * *

><p><strong>Speaking of premieres…<strong>

We were all in the gym, which had a giant screen set in to view Odd's film. We were in the front row, which was basically desk chairs taken from the science wing.

Jeremy fiddled with his laptop. "I'm putting it to sleep," he explained. "Odd would kill me if the super scan went off in the middle of his film."

"There's not much of a chance that XANA would launch an attack in the three minutes the film will take," Aelita said reasonably, even though Jeremy wasn't all that worried.

A few minutes passed and Odd still hadn't shown up. Ulrich stood up. "I'll go see if I can find him."

"Good luck," I said as he walked out of the gym.

"Why don't you go look for him?" Yumi asked me. Devlin nudged me and gave me a sly wink.

"Because Odd's probably trying to make us wait for drama," I said. It made sense to me.

A few minutes later, Odd walked into through the gym doors, looking like a deer in headlights. As he climbed the stage, he began to sweat, and when he spoke into the microphones, his voice came out tiny and squeaky. "Uh, hi, I'm Odd Della Robbia and I would like to first thank…"

A cell phone rang out before Odd could go further. It was his father, who was hanging out the door with his wife. The man smiled sheepishly before walking out the door.

Principal Delmas announced, "The film will resume when the director's father returns."

A minute later, my phone began to rang, along with Devlin's. As I got it out, I realized that _everyone's_ phone was ringing, even the teachers.

I looked at my phone to see the XANA eye on the screen. I threw it on the ground and hissed, "XANA attack!"

"What?" Jeremy exclaimed, getting out his laptop. His eyes widened as he said, "XANA activated a tower _now_?"

"What do we do?" Devlin asked as he tossed his phone over his shoulder. He didn't want to get XANAfied like all the others kids who answered their phones.

"We head to the factory," Jeremy decreed. "And if you get a call, don't answer it." The others began to run out of the gym before the XANAfied people could get in their way.

I stayed behind as Odd tried to creep out. As he got off the stage I grabbed his arm and we made our way to the gym doors, only to have Mr. Della Robbia block our path. "Just where do you think you're going?" he sneered.

"Away from you!" I snarled as I punched Odd's dad in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"If he hadn't been possessed I would be totally mad at you right now!" Odd told me as we ran out the doors.

"We don't have time for this!" I yelled at him. "We have to get to the factory!"

"But Jeremy said-"

"You need to be there!" I exclaimed as we ran out the door. "I'll come just in case."

* * *

><p><em>About that new story I mentioned-I think the project will be the same, but it'll tie into Evolution. I'll have Carter, Devlin, and Stacey involved, but I'll probably change their names to fit the story. I was wondering if anyone would like to contribute. Just leave a review with some names for the three of them and I'll mention the ones I like in a few chapters. <em>


	61. Chapter 58: Weapons of Mass Destruction

Chapter 58: Weapons of Mass Destruction

_I'm going to prolong the contest for a while because while I have a lot of good girl names, I don't have a lot of boy names. I want to give you guys more time to think up great names, but the contest will end soon. Then again, it's not much of a contest. I mean, all your getting is a shout-out in a chapter and in my next story. That's not much as an incentive._

_Oh, by the way, I have the name for my next CL story: **Soldiers of the Evolution. **It fits in with season 5, and it'll be told in multiple viewpoints, so it could apply to the project or to the Lyoko Warriors. What do you guys think?_

* * *

><p>We would have been able to leave the building if Jim hadn't caught us.<p>

How we didn't see that coming was beyond me.

Jim gripped our wrists as he wrestled us back into the gymnasium. Odd's dad was standing on a chair, acting as leader for all the other XANA drones in the room.

"It's time we teach him some respect!" Mr. DR shouted gleefully. The drones cheered, turning to Odd with evil grins plastered over their faces.

"Calm down, people," Odd reasoned. "I'll give each of you an autograph."

"He deserves to be taught a lesson, doesn't he?" Mrs. DR said rhetorically as the drones began to crowd around Odd and me.

And then I saw Sissi in the fray, only she wasn't looking XANAfied like all the others. Rather, she looked worried and confused.

Jim suddenly let go of us and held up both his arms, waving them in the air. He was about to debate voting for some reason; that vacant side of him didn't go away even after the possession.

Odd and I took our cues and ran out of there.

* * *

><p>We made it into the forest when we saw a possessed Mrs. Hertz with Milly and Tamiya flanking her, all holding pointy gardening tools.<p>

It seemed that recently XANA had a penchant for taking over the two budding reporters.

Mrs. Hertz gave us a sneer. "Are we looking for a little spanking?"

"Okay, ew," I said, cringing.

Odd turned behind us and tugged at my arm. I turned to see all the spectators in the gym running towards us, brandishing ordinary cleaning supplies and chairs like weapons. Mr. and Mrs. Della Robbia were leading the mob.

"What is _wrong_ with everyone?" Odd pondered calmly.

"Evil cell phones," I deadpanned.

"I think XANA already did that."

"Forget that! Let's go back to the school!" I pointed in front of us, where a clearing in the forest revealed the hopefully safe academy, looming at us in the distance. It wasn't like we could lead the mob to the factory, so school seemed like our best bet.

We ran towards the building with the angry mob after us, wielding their ordinary weapons of mass destruction. When we finally made it through the building's doors, we found the history teacher and the lunch lady glaring at us with XANAfied eyes.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Della Robbia," Rosa the lunch lady said with her hands full of that soup ladle she was holding. "How would you like a loving spoonful?"

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for soup," Odd joked nervously. He then grabbed my arm and we busted out the door, running away from the crazy lunch lady.

* * *

><p>We ended up hiding in the mess hall. Go figure.<p>

We were both under our usual table, just sitting next to each other as we calmed down from running so much. We tried to make our ragged breaths quiet in case some XANA drone heard us.

And then Odd began sniffing the air. He abandoned the hiding place and walked towards the kitchen, where large metal pots were sitting on the warm stove. He lifted the top off of one of them and smiled. "Meatballs! Come to think of it, I am pretty hungry."

I got out from the hiding place and marched up to him. "An angry mob is after us and all you can think about is your stomach?"

"Um, _yeah_."

I face palmed. "I give up."

Odd took the entire pot, some clean plates, and some spoons and carried it to the hiding spot. "Carter, grab some drinks for us, will you?" he asked as he settled down underneath the table.

Irritated, I grabbed two drinking glasses and filled them with water. I carried them over to the table, where Odd was already stuffing his face. "There isn't enough gravy," he moaned as he gobbled up the entire top layer of the pot.

"You have a black hole for a stomach, you know that?" I said as I set the drinks down. Odd just shrugged at me.

Admittedly, it wasn't a horrible way to pass the time. The meatballs were pretty good, even though Odd complained about the lack of freshness.

And then someone kicked the door open to the mess hall. "He's gotta be in here somewhere," we heard Herve say to someone. It was most likely Nicholas.

"I'm gonna sweep the floor with him," Nicholas joked. I couldn't see the weapon he was holding, but knowing him, it was probably some dustpan or something.

"Yeah, he'll be biting the dust by the time we're done with him," Herve agreed.

I swear the entire school had it out for Odd. But I was also with him. Why weren't they after me?

As we saw two pairs of feet coming our way, Odd gestured to the pot of meatballs. I looked at the plates and pot and smiled.

When Nicholas looked down to see if we were under our table, we were already out in the open, the metal pot on the table and the two of us with plates in our hands.

"Lunchtime!" we said in unison as we flung the first plates as Nicholas. He swatted them away with his red dustpan.

We threw the rest of them at him, only to have him break them with his weapon. "Ha ha, you can't touch me! Not with my invincible shield!" Nicholas taunted. "Go on, keep on trying."

Odd and I looked at each other and shrugged. I picked up the metal pot and flung it at him, the pot hitting him in the shield and knocking him backwards. Nicholas fell backward as the leftover meatballs splattered themselves over the wall.

"That is a really awful way of wasting perfectly good food on a vegetable like him!" Odd complained.

I noticed Herve creeping up behind us, wielding a broom over his head. I was about to hit him in the face when a metal pan hit Herve in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

It was Sissi, looking sheepish and ridiculous holding that metal cooking pan.

"Cooking pans; who knew?" Odd said.

"What is going on around here?" Sissi asked. "It's like everyone at school has gone crazy or something."

"It's because of the cell phones," I explained. "How come you haven't gone crazy too?"

"Because my dad broke my cell phone with a screwdriver."

I stared at her. "How-"

"He tried to fix it with a screwdriver and accidentally broke it," Sissi quickly explained. It made a lot more sense now.

And then a voice outside the mess hall called out, "The only place we haven't checked top to bottom is the lunchroom!"

"Let's split!" Sissi cried. We all tried escaping out the side door- I didn't even know there was one until then- but Mr. Delmas found us.

"What is one of my best students and my daughter doing with a scoundrel like him?" Mr. Delmas demanded to know.

"He must have forced them to join him!" Mrs. DR hypothesized.

"Children become monsters when they don't have a sense of discipline," Mr. DR said as the angry mob tried to get us again.

The three of us ran out of there and into the forest, where we quickly lost the mob. We made it to the gardening shed, the only last haven we had against them.

"At least now we'll have some peace," Odd said hopefully when Mr. Riley, the gardener, walked out of the shadows.

"Peace is what you'll get!" he cried, brandishing a rake at us. Odd and Sissi threw open the door to run away, but I didn't join them.

"Why aren't you after me, XANA?" I demanded to know from the possessed.

Mr. Riley gave me a puzzled look.

"Seriously, all you've been doing is going after Odd. What's your deal?"

"Carter, get out of there!" Odd yelled from the outside.

XANA-Riley gave me a smirk. "Come on, soldier, you can figure it out."

I gasped as I realized that XANA was trying to get me angry again. Though to be honest, I haven't been all that angry; more like I was terrified.

"Why'd he call her a soldier?" Sissi asked out from the door.

Mr. Riley then tried to hit me with the rake, but I dodged to the left and rammed my fist into his gut, making him bend over in pain. A second later he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Did she just-"

I turned to Sissi. "Yeah, I did. Now let's get moving. We still got a mob after us, though I wouldn't call it that."

"Why not?" Odd inquired.

"I thought mobs had pitchforks."

* * *

><p>We were running again through the forest, watching out for signs of any angry mob people after us. We were so preoccupied with looking sideways that we didn't notice the entire mob in front of us.<p>

They were all grinning madly and wielding their weapons at us. We tried to back away only to have a conscious Mr. Riley lightly hit the back of our knees with the gardening rake.

"You just can't find good gardeners these days," Odd deadpanned.

"I thought you knocked him out!" Sissi cried at me.

"I thought I did too!"

"I don't think you should be frightening these poor children with your gardening tools, sir," Mrs. DR chided, wagging her finger at Mr. Riley.

"Well, that's a pity," he said, genuinely disappointed as he dropped the rake.

"Rest assured, we're now the type of parents that would never shirk their responsibilities," Mrs. DR said as she walked up to Odd. "We promised you a fitting punishment and you're going to get it!" Jim and Mr. Delmas flanked her for emphasis.

"I promise to never complain about never having conflicts with my parents again," Odd vowed.

"Finally!"

"Not the time, Carter!"

* * *

><p>And then we found ourselves at the top of the gymnasium, standing on the edge of the roof with the mob behind us.<p>

I did not want to jump to my death.

"Oh no, anything but this!" Odd said fearfully as he averted his gaze from the ground.

"My sentiments exactly," I said shakily.

"Oh, don't worry, kids," Mr. DR told us. "Just another step forward and you won't be afraid anymore."

Sissi had her eyes closed, and she made these weird choking sounds. I don't think she was able to scream anymore.

"Don't we get a last request?" Odd asked the mob, hoping to stall for some time.

"It's true, they do have the right to that," Mr. Delmas said reasonably.

"I would like one last club sandwich with organic mayo." _That_ was Odd's last request? Couldn't he strive to be a little less, I don't know, _Odd, _at least once in his life?

"Okay, one club sandwich, but forget the organic mayo," Rosa agreed begrudgingly.

"I would like a purple parachute to go with my top," Sissi said smartly. I had to admit, that was an _epic_ last request.

Mr. DR made a time out sign with his hands. "Last requests are going to have to wait until later."

"But I haven't even said mine!" I protested.

Mr. DR sighed. "What is it?"

"I want to listen to the Beatles one last time."

The mob seemed to ponder that for a moment before they all collectively said, "No."

"But it's the Beatles!" I whined, trying not to look over the edge of the roof.

"It's still a no," Mrs. DR said.

The three of us faltered as we looked at the ground below us. I could feel the vertigo making my head woozy. It looked like my feet were sliding on the roof.

"I think these children need some parental guidance," Mrs. DR quipped, and the mob slowly charged forward, trying to force us back.

"It was nice knowing you guys," I said as I took one last look at the ground.

"Same here," Odd said, taking hold of my hand.

"I don't want to die!" Sissi cried, tears streaming down her face. I took her hand for comfort as the mob slowly crowded around us.

And then Mr. DR said, "What are we doing up here?"

"About time Aelita deactivated the tower!" I said exasperatedly. Odd gave me a high five while Sissi wiped away her tears.

And then a white light washed over us, signaling a return to the past.

* * *

><p>We were back in the gymnasium, only now Odd was confidently showing off his film to the masses.<p>

"…And here we have a specimen of a dung beetle." The picture showed Jim trying to push a rock off the soccer field, only the rock was heavy and he couldn't move it. Everyone had a good laugh at that one, even Jim.

The film flickered over to Mr. Delmas with one of those wooden toy ball in a cup things. He had tried to catch the ball in the cup, only to have the heavy ball land on his foot. He hopped on one foot while grabbing the injured one in pain.

"And here we have a magnificent grasshopper," Odd joked, making the entire room laugh again.

The next scene showed the gym with punching bags in it. The video panned on me in my gym outfit, repeatedly hitting the punching bag karate-style.

"What an odd creature," Odd commented. "Is it a normal jungle cat?"

And then, on the screen, I jumped up, whirled around in mid-air and hit the punching bag with my foot, knocking it away from me. When I landed, I had such a fierce look on my face that some kids in the audience gasped.

"My mistake; it was a lioness," Odd announced. "Very beautiful, but also very deadly."

* * *

><p><em>The whole caterpillar-turning-into-a-beautiful-butterfly thing is solely a SissixOdd moment. I didn't want to change it up to Odd having a camera in Carter's room, filming her as she got out of bed and stuff. That would be creepy. Then again, Odd having a camera in Sissi's room is creepy. I wonder if that makes Odd a creeper.<em>

_Huh. Odd the Creeper. Has a ring to it._


	62. Chapter 59: Discussions

Chapter 59: Discussions

_The name contest ends next week, so put a name in the reviews before then. Also, I want to let you know that if a name in the reviews doesn't click for Carter, Stacey, or Devlin, I'll supply my own. On the plus side, I found one or two names that really fit for two of the characters; all I need is a few more._

* * *

><p>"'Very beautiful, but also very deadly'?" I quoted Odd after the film. After the entire crowd went up to congratulate him-and after a few teachers threatened him with detention so he'd never show that film to the public again- the Lyoko Warriors were alone in the gym, save for Odd's parents talking to the principal.<p>

"Hey, it was the best I could come up with," Odd protested as he sat in the front row.

"I can't believe you didn't know you had a camera pointed at you," Yumi told me.

"I can't believe I was in such a state of mind to not notice anything," I admitted, because it was true.

"Odd, that was such a great film!" Mrs. Della Robbia gushed, walking over to her son with her husband right behind her. "I always knew you had an amazing sense of humor."

"Though the ending was more romantic than funny." Mr. DR looked at me with a grin on his face. "So you're the famous Carter; Odd's told us a lot about you."

"So I've heard," I said, giving Odd a look. He averted his gaze nonchalantly.

"Let's take a walk," Mrs. DR proposed. "I want to hear all about you. Come on." Without waiting for my response, she grabbed my hand and began leading me out the door with Mr. Della Robbia right behind us.

"I think you're parents just kidnapped your girlfriend," I heard Devlin tell Odd.

* * *

><p>"So what's your favorite food?" Mrs. DR inquired.<p>

"Chocolate cake."

"Favorite band?" Mr. DR asked.

"Fall Out Boy."

We were walking towards the science wing, and the torrent of questions never let up once. Odd's parents really wanted to know everything, from my favorite class (Ancient Greek) to my favorite movie (_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_; Harry Potter for the win!) to even my shoe size (nine in America, so twenty-six point five in Europe).

It was weird how they wanted to know even the tiniest detail about me.

"So how's the school?" Mr. Della Robbia asked.

"Well, it's got teachers, students, and homework, so I guess it's normal."

The parents laughed. "You have such a great sense of humor," Mrs. DR told me. I just smiled nervously.

"Is Odd doing okay here?" Mr. DR said suddenly, now a little serious. "I heard from the principal that he's doing great, but I wanted to know from his friends."

They were doting parents through and through. I gave them a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry. He's just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

"I need to know!" Odd begged me in the rec room. He and Ulrich were supposed to be playing foosball, but Odd kept pestering me about my talk with his parents yesterday.

"Tell him so he'll shut up," Devlin said from beside me.

"They just asked about me," I repeated. "They wanted to know _everything;_ it was kind of creepy."

"My parents are embarrassing," Odd moaned dramatically, hand up to his head.

"Now you can never complain about never having conflicts with them," Ulrich deadpanned when Odd got a call. He got out his purple cell phone and answered it.

"Hey Milly; she did _what_? Why'd she have to do that? That's the last time I'm ever giving _you_ a scoop." Odd shut off his phone in a huff.

"Can we play now?" Ulrich asked, gesturing to the foosball table.

"Sure, but only if you do me a favor. You see, I have a little problem with Yumi, and I really need you to bail me out this time."

"What did you do?" Devlin inquired, imagining an angry Yumi. He shivered in fear.

"Just a little practical joke," Odd said glibly. "Nothing at all. But Ulrich, you gotta say it was you."

"Don't do it," I warned. "It's like a contract with the devil; you might not lose your soul, but you'll regret it."

"Nice support there, Carter," Odd said sarcastically.

"She's got a point though," Ulrich reasoned. "Why should I do it?"

"…In the name of our friendship?"

"Real convincing there," Devlin joked.

"Come on, Lyoko Warriors honor," Odd pleaded.

Ulrich relented. "Okay."

"And you guys, not a peep to Yumi," Odd ordered us.

Devlin and I looked at each other and shrugged. "Fine," we said in cadence.

Yumi chose that stellar moment to barge in through the door. She went over to Odd and shoved the Kadic Newspaper in his face. "Are you the one who gave this picture to Milly and Tamiya?"

"Why are you angry? You look adorable." Was Odd trying to get himself killed?

"Let me see," Devlin said, snatching the magazine from Yumi's hands. She tried to get it back, but he danced out of her reach and over to me.

And then I saw the embarrassing picture: a young Yumi in a pink princess dress that looked far too big on her and swathed in too much lace and bows. She was holding a giant pink wand with a star at one end, and on her head was a blond wig with a fake, glittery tiara.

It was so embarrassingly cute, I almost laughed. And then I saw the murderous glint in Yumi's eyes. That scared the laughter right out of me.

"This time, Odd, you're gonna be sorry because I've got a list of all the pranks you pulled the last two years, and I'm not afraid to use it," Yumi threatened him.

"You're wrong, Yumi," Ulrich said quietly. Yumi turned her furious gaze over to him.

"I gave the picture to Milly and Tamiya."

The disbelieving look on Yumi's face was almost comical. "It was you? Why'd you do it?"

"I don't have the slightest idea."

"Don't ever speak to me again!" Yumi said, tears evident in her voice. She stalked out of the rec room and slammed the door shut.

"You really are a good friend. Thanks," Odd said.

"Don't bet on that," Ulrich warned him.

* * *

><p>It was late at night, and we were all walking towards the factory because Jeremy and Aelita had located a new Replika to destroy. Odd and I were in back, away from the fighting lovebirds.<p>

"But why?" Odd whined, a grating sound.

"Because you got Yumi mad at Ulrich for something _you_ did," I told him sharply. "And you have to fix it."

"So unless I somehow make Yumi forgive Ulrich, we can't go out?"

"So glad you remember my terms," I said casually as I walked away from him.

* * *

><p>I was with Jeremy in the supercomputer room, because I was still officially banned from Lyoko. At least I was allowed in the factory.<p>

"Okay, Jeremy, the Skid is docked," Aelita told the genius.

"Okay, I'm activating the tower now." Jeremy pressed a button on his keyboard and made the tower on the screen glow green. "Who's getting teleported tonight?" Jeremy asked the others. I leaned in so I could hear.

"I nominate Yumi and Ulrich," Aelita suggested innocently. "They're good together on a mission." Oh, right, she didn't know about the Odd and Ulrich thing.

"No way!" Yumi protested. "I'd rather be on my own then go with him!"

"I don't believe it," Ulrich murmured.

"Maybe Odd and Yumi should go," I said nonchalantly.

Jeremy nodded. "Good idea. Yumi, Odd, you okay with that?"

"Yeah; at least he didn't make me look like a fool in front of the entire school!" Yumi snarled venomously.

"Odd I changed my mind," Ulrich said suddenly. Must have been about the vow he made earlier.

"Can't hear you, too busy teleporting. Jeremy, any day now!" Odd pleaded in a slightly panicked manner.

"Okay, okay, just hold on a minute," Jeremy said, holding a hand to his head. He began to one-handedly begin the teleportation.

"Hey, Carter, do you know why everyone's so wound up today?" Jeremy asked me as he began to energize Odd.

"Finish this up, then I'll tell you," I said quietly so no one would hear. Jeremy looked a little puzzled, but did as I said. After Yumi had been teleported, I told Jeremy the whole story of how Odd tricked Ulrich into taking claim for his prank.

What? Odd said to not tell Yumi. He didn't say anything about Jeremy.

"Odd, that no good…!" Jeremy stopped before he could say anything worse. I wondered if he had ever swore before.

"Don't worry; I gave Odd an ultimatum," I said kind of smugly.

"What is it?"

"No dating unless Odd reveals the truth and gets Yumi to forgive Ulrich."

Jeremy gave a low whistle. "Not bad, Carter." And then he thought for a moment. "But Odd can still weasel his way out of this. He can make it seem that Ulrich did it as a juvenile way of getting Yumi's attention and not tell you the truth."

I blinked. "I hadn't thought of that. But it's going to be hard to convince Yumi of that. Ulrich _is_ one of the more mature members of the group."

"He is, sometimes," Jeremy allowed. "But Ulrich has lashed out immaturely before, all because of Yumi. She may think this time is no different."

"But with those last times, it was because someone else wanted to date her. As far as I know no one's tried to ask Yumi out."

"True; she'll probably think it's because she friend zoned him and the picture was his way of dealing with it. It won't account for the amount of time that's passed since then, but she might just ignore that bit."

"I don't know, J-man, Yumi's pretty logical. She'll see right through it."

"Care to make it interesting, Carter?"

"Seeing as though there won't be a clear way of deciding the winner unless we ask Yumi, no."

"…You can be a real buzz kill sometimes."

"And you can be real immature sometimes. Now watch the screen, will you?"

Jeremy did as I asked and turned back to the screen. I went over to the wall and leaned against it, sad that I wasn't on Lyoko. I mean, I completely understood why I was banned from getting onto the virtual world. It was simple logic and besides, we had to ensure the safety of Aelita and all of our friends.

But a part of me wanted to go back on there and fight monsters, beat up William, and defeat XANA's newest evil scheme. I wanted to join my friends as we fought evil together and made sure the world stayed safe. By being banned from Lyoko, it was like I was no longer a part of that world, no longer useful to the good guys.

I was banned from the very thing that made us all friends.

"XANA's managed to teleport William?" Jeremy said into his headset. I got up from my corner of self-pity and walked over to him.

"Defeat William!" Jeremy told Yumi and Odd. To the others: "Head for the activated tower. Devlin, stay behind and guard the Skid." And then to me: "XANA hasn't teleported William into the real world since that lightning storm a few months back."

I nodded, remembering how XANA had tried to electrocute me before I escaped into the Hermitage. "I guess when he figured if that approach wouldn't work, he'd just go full steam ahead with defeating us on Lyoko."

Jeremy nodded. "XANA usually isn't one to try an old plan if it didn't work the first time. But why didn't he teleport William before now?"

"Because at first, I was there," I said grimly. "Back then I was a volatile bomb about to explode. The first time he did it I completely humiliated him; he wouldn't want a repeat of that happening. And then there was Devlin and Stacey and the scientists…"

Jeremy nodded his head. "Of course he wouldn't want to test them out. So know that he thinks you're stable…"

"I guess he figures that since I'm trying to control my dark side, I won't be able to go all out. As far as we know, XANA thinks I'm still struggling with myself."

Jeremy sighed. "To be honest, I think you _are_ stable enough to go on Lyoko, but when you're angry, it's like the evil side of you is just waiting to come out. I know you try to control it, but there's always that chance you won't be able to win against your programming."

I swallowed, trying to fight the irrational feelings of betrayal that were overtaking my mind.

"You are a paradox, Carter; a natural human made with scientific engineering. Your human and non-human parts will always be at war with each other. The human part may win most of the time, but the inhuman part of you will always be there, waiting for you to slip up so it can take control."

"It's not like I can stop it," I protested. "It's more like I made a deal with my programming. As long as it's for a good cause, I can let go a little and not worry about losing my humanity."

Jeremy studied me for a bit. "I believe you," he said finally. Before I could cheer and happily thank him, he held up a hand. "There's a chance that XANA will try to use you, so you'll still only go on Lyoko for emergencies." He graced me with a smile. "When that happens, you can show us all how in control you are."

I grinned, feelings of absolute joy welling up in me. "Damn right I will."

* * *

><p><em>Hardly an action, but it's a good chapter nonetheless. And it ties up most of the story's loose ends, so I'm doubly happy.<em>

_Review so you can tell me what you think._


	63. Chapter 60: Virtual Suicide

Chapter 60: Virtual Suicide

_And the contest officially ends. Thanks to all the people who submitted name ideas, virtual cookies for all of you. But only three names can be picked, and they are:_

_Quinn for Devlin, by **Takara Matsudaira**_

_Lilly for Stacey, by **Guest **_

_Kori for Carter, by **Winter Coma**_

_Yeah, yeah, I know, I personally picked out Carter's name, but none of the ones submitted really clicked for her. They were either too girly or too Asian (you know who you are; Carter can't have an Asian name, she's French-American). But for the other two, not only do you get a mention here, but when I start my story (after season five so I know what I'm getting into) I'll announce who gave me the names on the first chapter. _

* * *

><p>"You know, it's awfully lonely here, guarding the Skid by myself," Devlin told Jeremy with me listening in.<p>

"Nice try, Devlin, but Carter can't go on unless it's an emergency," Jeremy reminded him. "That was the agreement."

"True, but it kind of sucks not being able to do anything while my friends are risking their lives," I said, sulking just a little.

Jeremy gave me an exasperated look. "You just have to suck it up."

"Yeah, yeah." I waved my hand dismissively and made my way over to the wall again. Jeremy turned back to the screen and tried to help the others with their battles.

"William's just been defeated by Odd and Yumi," Jeremy suddenly announced to me. I stood up and walked over to see it myself.

"Good to remember that you won't always need me to fight William," I said glibly.

"…Are you pouting?"

"No!"

"It sounds like a yes to me."

"You can be so infuriating sometimes," I mumbled as we both went back to the action on the screen.

"Ulrich, Aelita, how're things on your side?" Jeremy asked the two of them. Aelita had just blown up a mega tank, according to the screen.

"We got two tarantulas guarding the tower," I heard Ulrich say through the headset.

"Go for it; everything's cool so far on Yumi and Odd's side," Jeremy added as Aelita and Ulrich went to defeat some giant spiders.

"Think they'll be able to do it?" I asked Jeremy.

"Ulrich and Aelita are capable of taking care of themselves," Jeremy said. "And if anything goes wrong, Devlin can be sent to help them. In that case, you'll be able to guard the Skid."

"If that's your way of saying I'll be helping, it fell kind of flat."

"…I'm going to ignore you now." And with that, Jeremy went back to the screen. How he was going to ignore me when I was right next to him and leaning over his shoulder to see the screen was beyond me.

"Guys, William's on your tail! Go hide somewhere until Aelita has deactivated the tower," Jeremy suddenly ordered Siberia team.

"Okay, we'll hide in the room just in front of us," Odd told him.

Jeremy switched back to Aelita and Ulrich. "Ulrich, Yumi and Odd have William to deal with. I hope Aelita's already in the tower."

"Nearly there," Ulrich said sarcastically. I looked at the map where he was and saw the yellow arrows indicating that he and Aelita were behind some ice wall. Two red dots- tarantulas- were still guarding the tower.

"They'll have to force their way through," I noted. "It probably won't work, but it's their only option right now."

"How'd you figure?" Jeremy inquired of me.

"Devlin and I used to go over battle strategies back at the project," I explained quickly. "I kind of remember some of them."

Jeremy turned back to the screen in time to see one of the dots disappear. "It looks like Ulrich came to the same conclusion," Jeremy said as he saw Ulrich's yellow arrow near the tower.

Suddenly the other red dot disappeared, but Ulrich hadn't moved. Aelita must have stepped in with an energy field.

And then Aelita ran into the tower to deactivate it. "I'll check on Devlin," Jeremy suddenly said. He must have forgotten about him.

"Devlin how's it on your side?"

"Bloody dull; XANA didn't even bother to send some company for me. How're things on your side?"

"Aelita's just got into the tower. Just in time too; William's finally caught up to Yumi and Odd."

"Well, tell them the good news," Devlin told Jeremy, who switched over to them. "Good news guys; Aelita is in the tower."

"Um, Jeremy?" Aelita's soft voice sounded through the headset.

"A problem?" Jeremy asked tentatively.

"This tower commands William's teleportation, so the interface must contain the protocols and programs to control him."

"Yeah, so?"

I cottoned on immediately. "She can hack into the data and find a way to free William!"

"Aelita, you're a genius!" Jeremy congratulated her.

"I can't believe I figured that out faster than you!"

"Shut up, Carter."

Aelita quickly sent Jeremy the programs and deactivated the tower, getting William out of Siberia.

"XANA might send William to take out the Skid," I said suddenly, since it was a very XANA-like thing to do. "We have to warn Devlin."

"Good call," Jeremy told me as he switched over to Devlin. "Devlin, Aelita just deactivated the tower, but XANA might send William over to you. Be prepared."

"I see him, J-man," Devlin told us grimly. We could also see the red dot on the screen heading right towards him.

"You know, I'd feel a lot safer with back-up."

"You can handle William on your own; I've seen you do it."

"Yes, but that's right before I get devirtualized. Or after someone else had a whack at the bugger."

"…Ulrich and Aelita are close by."

"Yeah, on the other side of the ice sector. They won't get here in time."

"I don't think he'll let up anytime soon," I said out loud. "He's nothing if not persistent."

Jeremy gave a defeated sigh. "Just get to the scanner room."

I almost skipped to the elevator.

* * *

><p>When I landed, Devlin and William were fighting it out in a weird battle of guns and blade.<p>

I got out my daggers and slowly approached, trying to keep the element of surprise on my side. For a split second, Devlin saw me, and then went right back to the fight by dodging Zweihander and shooting at William.

I threw my dagger at William's back, making him shout out in pain. Devlin took that moment to shoot William in the head, disorienting him and taking out a huge chunk of his life points.

Just before either one of us could dish out the final blow, William disappeared in a black smog and escaped.

"I finally get on Lyoko and I hardly do anything," I complained as I used telekinesis to get my other dagger back.

"You never did like being on the sidelines," Devlin said matter-of-factly.

"OH, CRAP!" Jeremy screamed from the factory.

"What?" I shouted back.

"Scyphozoa headed straight towards you guys!"

My jaw dropped. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

But no, there was the Scyphozoa not twenty feet away from us, in all of its jellyfish-y glory.

Devlin was instantly in front of me, shooting at the monster. "Go in the tower!" he ordered me. "You'll be safe there!"

I immediately tried to run into it, only to have Devlin get hit by a tentacle and fall over me. We were sprawled on the ground, struggling to free ourselves as the jellyfish monster loomed over us.

"Where the hell are Aelita and Ulrich?" I yelled out as Devlin and I finally untangled ourselves.

Too late; one quick flick of a tentacle and Devlin was flung into the tower-I didn't even know you could enter it that way.

I tried to get my daggers out, but a tentacle bitch slapped me right before another one wrapped itself around my waist. Instantly two other tentacles touched my temples, and I was frozen there as the Scyphozoa implanted something into my head again.

It was another command program, to devirtualize my friends again. I grew angry again, but at XANA. Who did it think it was, trying to control me like this? I _just_ made peace with my evil programming; I didn't need this crap injected into my brain!

The Scyphozoa dropped my quickly, and I fell to the ground on my knees. The monster tried to glide out of there, but a wild overboard appeared and slammed itself into the Scyphozoa's head.

I think Ulrich enjoyed that a little too much. Then again, Odd had it coming for all the crap he's done today.

The Scyphozoa teetered over the edge and escaped into the Digital Sea before Aelita and Ulrich could defeat it. Ulrich had his sabers out, ready to strike me down. Aelita stayed behind him, just in case.

I didn't bother looking up; I knew they were angry at Jeremy for letting me onto Lyoko and possibly compromising this whole mission, irrationally angry at Devlin for getting himself knocked out by that tentacle attack, angry at themselves for not getting there in time, and furious that I was getting used like this again.

I blinked and took a deep breath, and quick as lightning drew my daggers. And just as quickly I plunged them into my stomach, almost like the Japanese samurais did all those years ago.

Intense pain racked my body and I gave a shuddering breath. If I could cry on Lyoko, I would have. I slowly let go of the hilts of my weapons with trembling hands.

Why wasn't I getting devirtualized?

"Uh, Jeremy?" I called out tentatively, my voice surprisingly strong after stabbing myself. "Why aren't I devirtualized yet?"

Jeremy quickly got over his shock. "Your daggers aren't strong enough to finish the job."

"You mean I tried to commit virtual suicide for _nothing_?"

"Why did you do that?" Ulrich asked me, also getting over his shock.

I looked at him. "I just wanted to show you that even when XANA's trying to control me, I can fight it. You don't have to freeze me out."

Aelita studied me. "You didn't have to do that. There are other ways to tell if you're fighting yourself. One, you're voice isn't husky; if it is, then it's a sure sign of you slipping control. Two, only one of your eyes is purple."

I blinked. "But I can see normally. I'm not seeing violet out of either of my eyes."

"I think it's a side effect," a familiar British voice said from behind me. I twisted around to see Devlin walk up to me, a half-smile on his face.

"'Bout time you got here," Ulrich joked. "We thought we'd have to use Odd's gym socks to get you awake."

"So glad it didn't come to that," Devlin said. "So what do we do now?"

I pointed to my stomach, where the daggers still were. "These things smart like crazy, and I don't think XANA's sending any more monsters after us."

"Yumi and Odd still have to destroy the supercomputer," Jeremy interjected doubtfully.

"But she doesn't have enough life points to stick around," Aelita pointed out. There was only one thing to do.

"Anyone want to do the honors?" I said, gesturing to my daggers.

The others looked at each other. "I don't want to do it," Aelita said first.

"No one will make you, Princess," Ulrich reassured her.

"You don't want to either."

"…True."

Devlin sighed. "I guess I'll do it." He got out a gun and aimed for my head.

"Want me to close my eyes?" I asked.

"I'd appreciate that."

I closed my eyes and felt an intense pain go through my forehead, like a volt of lightning hitting me. I fell to the ground and writhed in pain just before I finally devirtualized out of there.

* * *

><p>I just managed to crawl myself out of the scanner before I flopped to the ground. It had been a while since I had been devirtualized like that, and let me tell you, it is not a pleasant experience. But since I couldn't wallow in my misery, I picked myself up and dragged myself to the elevator, which led me to Jeremy in the supercomputer room.<p>

"Out of all the stupid things you could have done, that was probably the most dangerous," Jeremy told me seriously as the elevator doors slide open.

I clutched my stomach. "Don't worry, I'm paying the price. At least now you know I'm in control."

"Couldn't you have come up with something better?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" I asked as I got myself out of the elevator. I made my way to the wall next to it and sat down with my back against it.

"I couldn't just stand up and say, 'Hey, guys, don't worry if the Scyphozoa implanted some evil program in my head, I won't kill you!'. Ulrich and Aelita wouldn't buy that. The best thing for me to do in that situation was to hurt myself to prove that I'm fighting against XANA."

Jeremy sighed. "Okay, okay, you have a point there. Doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me; I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't my only option."

Jeremy suddenly turned back to the supercomputer. "Oh, no, XANA's using energy from all of the Replikas!"

"What for?" I asked, picking myself up and going over to the computer.

And then I saw it; a giant red mass on the screen, heading straight for the Skidbladnir.

"What the hell is that?" I said, pointing at the colossal monster.

"XANA's new monster and he's huge!" Jeremy told me. He ordered the others: "RUN!"

The others tried to run, but in a fraction of a second the monster attacked, wiping out the three of them just like that. Their avatars appeared one by one and slowly lost light, signaling their devirtualization.

"That thing could wipe out the Skid easily!" I cried, which didn't help Jeremy.

Jeremy stayed calm and quickly energized Yumi and Odd back into the Skid (thank God, or Odd would have seen me with my weapons in my stomach and who knows what would have happened). He quickly released the docking release and Yumi and Odd maneuvered themselves out of there quickly.

The monster may have been gigantic, but he was way too slow to get rid of the Skid while it was flying.

* * *

><p>"The Kolossus!" Odd cried. "As in K, like in K.O.!"<p>

"The name sure suits him," Devlin deadpanned.

"We'll never defeat XANA now," Yumi said. "Anytime we set foot on a Replika, he'll be there to wipe us out before we can say Lyoko!"

"One thing is sure; we gotta change our strategy," Jeremy revealed, "because right now XANA controls hundreds of supercomputers all over the world. We'll never be able to destroy all of them."

"Got anything in mind?" Aelita inquired of him.

"No, nothing yet, but I'm working on it," Jeremy said cheerfully.

Odd gave a huge yawn. "Let's sleep on it. If not, I'll sleep through that math test tomorrow."

* * *

><p>As we were walking down the bridge outside the factory, Aelita pulled me over to the side where Ulrich and Devlin were waiting.<p>

"Don't ever do something so stupid again," Devlin warned me seriously. "Even if it does prove something."

"Don't worry; I wasn't planning on it," I said. "I don't want a repeat."

The others looked at each other before shrugging simultaneously. With them satisfied, I walked away from them to Odd. "Did you tell Yumi?"

Odd stood stock still as he said, "I have to tell her the truth, don't I?"

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later<strong>

I was sitting with Aelita, Jeremy, Devlin, and Yumi on a bench in the middle of campus, reading the next issue of the _Kadic News_. Today's big scoop: an exclusive picture of Odd and Ulrich together.

Devlin and I were sharing our own paper while Jeremy and Aelita shared theirs. Yumi was standing behind us at the bench, gauging our reactions.

"What did you Photoshop this thing?" Jeremy asked Yumi.

"Nope; I took it while they were coming out of the shower," Yumi said triumphantly, beginning to whistle nonchalantly.

"How did they not notice the camera?" Devlin inquired, mystified.

"Probably the same way Carter didn't notice that camera while she was working out in the gym," Aelita said impishly.

"You guys are never letting that go, are you?" I muttered under my breath.

And then we saw Odd running past us with a furious Ulrich behind him, trying to escape the German boy's wrath. Said German boy was ready to tear his Italian friend limb from limb.

"You told me to tell her, didn't you?"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"AAAHHHH!"

* * *

><p><em>Y'all know what the Kolossus means; the end is near. For this story, I mean. Only a few chapters to go.<em>

_As for Carter going against XANA, I thought that with enough willpower (or in Carter's case, anger), one could fight the Scyphozoa's implanted programming and defeat it. William did for a little bit, anyway. Also, in Carter's case, when she was beginning to break free of the influence, she tried to devirtualize herself so XANA couldn't use her, thus breaking free of the possession._


	64. Chapter 61: Over The Edge

Chapter 61: Over the Edge_  
><em>

_Does anyone know where I can find Code Lyoko: Evolution episodes with English subtitles online? I've been having some trouble finding the newer ones. _

_Just to be clear, I won't begin writing **Soldiers of the Evolution** until season five is over. That way I have a lot of time to perfect the plot and work out all of the kinks. I want to make sure I write the best story for you guys._

* * *

><p>"Wait, let me get this straight: you and Einstein spent the entire weekend together and all you did was <em>work<em>?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Devlin asked Odd. All of us sans Jeremy were at the vending machine on campus after class. Aelita was trying to talk about something, but naturally we had to interrupt.

"Well, we had to work on the super scan," Aelita explained quickly.

"Yeah, right," Odd scoffed. "You guys are worse than Yumi and Ulrich."

Yumi made a choking noise, and Ulrich cried out, "Hey!"

"He's got a point," I admitted. "You're always trying to convince us that you're just 'good friends' and all that."

"By the way," Devlin suddenly said, "where is Einstein?" He turned to Aelita.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm a little worried about him. Ever since XANA infected hundreds of supercomputers around the world, he's always in the factory or in his room and-" She got cut off by her ringing phone.

Aelita looked at the caller ID. "That's him now!" She accepted the call and began to talk to him. "Yes, Jeremy? I was beginning to worry about you. Where are you?"

Unbeknownst to Aelita, Jeremy was right behind her, phone in hand. He tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Right behind you."

"You're so silly!" Aelita said happily as she shut off her phone.

"Einstein, a comedian?" Ulrich joshed. "You were right to be worried about him. I don't think he's all there." Aelita gave a little giggle at that.

"Got any good news for us, Jeremy?" Yumi inquired.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said cheerfully. "I found a way to wipe out XANA!"

* * *

><p>We were all in Jeremy's room now, since we were having a seriously private conversation.<p>

"Are you absolutely sure?" Yumi asked. "A multi-agent system?"

"That's it," Jeremy affirmed. "I decided to go over all of Franz Hopper's notes again, including all of the data he sent from the network as he was escaping from Lyoko. And, of course, all the data you gathered when you were travelling on the Skid. And that's when I realized that if we wanna get rid of XANA, it's through a system of multi-agents."

"It sounds pretty dangerous if you ask me," Devlin asked from his sitting position on the floor. "XANA himself is a multi-agent system."

"And don't forgot what happened with the Marabounta," Aelita interjected.

"The Marabounta?" I asked, confused.

"A multi-agent system Einstein created a while back to help deal with monsters," Ulrich quickly explained. "It didn't work."

"That's right, Frankenstein," Odd said to Jeremy. "You gotta admit, it was a pretty creepy invention."

"So glad I wasn't here for it," Devlin deadpanned.

"Will you stop worrying?" Jeremy chided them. "I'm not going to launch my program until I'm totally sure it's going to work. Right now, all I can destroy is two or three mega tanks. On the other hand…"

"Go on, we're listening," Ulrich said.

"XANA made a really big mistake when he teleported William to the ice sector Replika."

"And the data I found in the tower. Was it of any use to you?" Aelita asked hopefully.

"Was it ever!" Jeremy cried. "Thanks to that data, I was able to imagine a program for freeing William!"

"You mean for good?" Yumi inquired.

"You bet for good! And it's so simple. All Aelita has to do is get to the supercomputer that corresponds to the ice sector Replika and run the program at the exact moment one of you devirtualizes William."

"Oh, yeah, that'll be easy!" Yumi said sarcastically.

"And you think William's gonna twiddle his thumbs while Aelita enters the program?" Ulrich asked.

"I said it was simple, not easy," Jeremy said sheepishly.

"You forgot one little detail," Odd pointed out. "What if XANA sends King Kong like he did last time?"

"Who, the Kolossus?" Jeremy said dismissively. "Just think of him as just another one of XANA's monsters that you have to fight against."

"Maybe we should introduce you to him," Devlin said harshly. "Then you'd understand."

"Hey, fighting's your thing, programming's mine," Jeremy protested. "We all know that."

"If there's a chance of bringing the real William back, then what are we waiting for?" Aelita said happily. "Let's go!"

"Yeah, no reason to wait!" Jeremy agreed. "Everyone to the factory!"

"Even her?" Devlin jerked a thumb at me.

Jeremy smiled at him. "Of course! She can even come on the mission with us."

Odd and Yumi made surprised sounds. "What do you mean?" Yumi inquired.

"Carter proved herself to be able to resist XANA's mind control when we had her on Lyoko last time," Jeremy quickly explained.

"She was on Lyoko last time?" Odd asked.

"You were in Siberia at the time," Jeremy said. "You didn't see it."

"Well how exactly did she-"

Aelita interrupted Yumi. "Forget that; we have a possessed boy to save!"

* * *

><p>The Skid erupted out of the Replika's icy ocean, and we quickly docked at the nearest tower. Aelita and Odd had been chosen to blow up the Siberian supercomputer and were quickly teleported there.<p>

Jeremy energized the rest of us on the ground so we could guard the Skid properly, since William would surely show up soon.

"I can't believe we're about to bring the real William back!" Yumi exclaimed happily. Ulrich did not look happy at her enthusiasm.

"Let's just hope his clone isn't making trouble in the meantime," Devlin said. "How long have you had William Clone anyway?"

"Since just before school started," Ulrich answered automatically.

"Have his parents ever seen William clone?" Where was Devlin going with this?

Ulrich shook his head. "No, the real William got possessed just before school started. Most kids come back to Kadic a week or so before school starts so they can adjust to school again. So his parents have no idea about William Clone."

"That's a relief," I said, eyeing Devlin. He seemed slightly tense for some reason. "Everything okay, Devlin?"

"Sure, I was just thinking how disastrous it would be if William's real parents came to school suddenly to check up on their son."

I scoffed. "What are the chances of that happening?"

"Yeah, you're right, that's silly," Devlin agreed, his shoulders relaxed. "I'm more worried about how Ulrich will react when William starts hanging around Yumi again."

"Dude!" Ulrich cried, horrified. And then he straightened himself and said, "There's no reason for me to be jealous. After all, Yumi and I decided to be just good friends."

"Hate to bother you guys," Jeremy cut in, "but the radar says that William's coming in dead ahead."

We all snapped to attention and got out our weapons so we could properly greet our special guest.

William had decided to ride his super special awesome black and white mantaray with two normal mantarays slightly behind him as backup.

"How rare for mantarays to show up out of Sector Five," Devlin mused. "I wonder what the occasion is."

"Less talking, more butt kicking," I said as Jeremy virtualized all three vehicles. I willed my demon wings to come out so I could fly in close and hopefully hit William with my daggers.

Ulrich and Yumi got on their rides while Devlin hopped onto Odd's overboard. We then sped off to fight William and his posse face to face.

"Leave pretty boy to me!" Ulrich said to the rest of us.

"Remember that we just need to slow him down," Yumi told him.

"Yeah, no problem," he said as he revved his bike and accelerated his speed.

The two backup mantarays began shooting at us and we all swerved out of the way. Once he got close to William, Ulrich shot off of his bike and slashed the black mantaray in the stomach. It blew up with William on it, so the possessed boy fell to the ground with an embarrassing cry.

Yumi sent a fan at one of the mantarays; slashing it in the XANA eye and making it blow up. Devlin and I zeroed in on the last mantaray with him going up and me going down.

I threw a dagger at the manta's stomach and Devlin took two shots at its XANA eye. We flew away just in time as the manta exploded into oblivion.

Yumi, Devlin, and I looked back to Ulrich's fight with William, only to see William use his super smoke ability to dive into the Digital Sea.

"So much for bringing him back home," I quipped as I heard the ground below us begin to rumble.

And then six antlers appeared out of the sea, followed by a XANA eye on a white face with tentacles hanging from its mouth, followed by a great stone body with molten lava dripping from its shoulders and abs.

So _that_ was the Kolossus.

And who did I spy standing on its shoulder? The Prince of Darkness William himself.

Ulrich immediately ran to the Kolossus and jumped onto his arm, quickly climbing up it to get to William.

"That idiot!" Devlin shouted as we neared the monstrosity.

As Ulrich struggled up the arm, the Kolossus slowly moved its face to see what little pest was bothering him. And that was when I noticed that its left arm wasn't an arm at all; it was actually a stone blade with markings made of lava on it. There was even a big XANA eye in the middle of it.

That was just fan-tucking-fastic.

Yumi, who was closest to the beast, threw a fan at the XANA eye on the face. The face blew up a little, but when the explosion ended, the face didn't even have a scratch on it.

Figured that attack would be too good to be true.

The three of us neared Ulrich on the monster's arm. "I don't get it!" Yumi cried. "I was right on target!"

"There's another eye on his left arm!" I exclaimed. "He's not going to be easy to defeat."

"Of course he's not," Devlin muttered under his breath. The Kolossus started to move away from the tower, so the rest of us shifted so we couldn't get suddenly hit by the thing.

"Concentrate your efforts on William," Jeremy ordered us from his cushy seat in the factory. "I'll try to give you a hand with the Kolossus."

"How are you gonna do that?" Ulrich asked desperately.

"I'm going to launch the multi-agent program."

Ulrich started to climb up the arm again, trying to get closer to William. "Will it destroy it?" he asked as he climbed.

"No, the program's not finished yet," Jeremy revealed. "But it might be able to immobilize it. It should give us enough time to devirtualize William."

And then the part of the sea that the Kolossus was in quickly turned to ice, trapping the monster in its bind. The Kolossus smashed its fist into the ice, but it was rock hard. Not even he could get out of it easily.

"NO!" William cried out helplessly.

"Nice work, J-man!" Devlin congratulated him. "He's not going anywhere."

I could just imagine the look on Jeremy's face back in the supercomputer room.

Ulrich was right by William now, and they started their usual fight. Yumi, Devlin, and I left them to it so we could figure out a way to defeat the Kolossus.

We didn't figure it out in time, because Jeremy then said, "Guys, Aelita's entered the code. On my signal, devirtualize William."

And then the Kolossus began to break free of his icy prison, slowly shifting its waist so it could move more freely.

"Guess that multi-agent program didn't work after all," Devlin said morosely as the three of us circled the Kolossus.

"No, more like it doesn't have enough power," Jeremy said right before the Kolossus slammed its bladed hand into Yumi, devirtualizing her.

And then the Kolossus began to lift a leg out of the ocean, then another. And he began to walk towards the Skid.

"Let's hit the targets at the same time!" Devlin suggested. "Maybe it'll work!"

And then we saw Ulrich and William fall off the Kolossus's shoulder, plummeting to the ground. When they landed, Ulrich had his saber at William's chest.

"JEREMY, NOW!" he cried.

"DEVIRTUALIZE HIM!" Jeremy ordered him.

Ulrich plunged his saber into William's chest, and the possessed boy slowly began to pixilate. William was finally free.

About time too, since the Kolossus then stepped on Ulrich, devirtualizing him.

I threw my dagger at the XANA eye on its head, but it bounced off from the side of his face. Why did I have to have bad aim _now_?

"Guys, I'm energizing you back into the Skid," Jeremy told us. "Go near it so you can get out of there."

Devlin and I hurried to the ship and Jeremy quickly energized us in there. I figured that Aelita and Odd must have already been devirtualized and teleported back to the Skid by that point.

With the behemoth looming over the Skid, Aelita tried to undock us, but the Kolossus took one swipe at us with its bladed hand and completely knocked us to the ground, denting the Skid and making us hit the safety glass windshield in our Nav Skids.

We were sent teetering towards the edge of the cliff, and with the weight of the Skid and gravity against us, we plummeted into the Digital Sea.

* * *

><p>I woke up lying in the scanner, disoriented and seriously freaked.<p>

"And I dead?" I croaked, feebly crawling out of the pod.

Ulrich, who was standing over me, smiled. "No, but you guys gave us all quite a scare."

The scanner behind me closed and opened again, steam pouring out of it. Inside laid Aelita, in the same shape I was.

I looked around the room and saw Devlin and Odd slowly crawl out of their scanners.

"What happened?" Odd asked in a small voice.

"We got devirtualized just before the Skid fell into the Digital Sea," Aelita explained.

"All that work done the tubes," Devlin moaned as he hoisted himself up. The rest of us followed suit, and we saw a not-possessed William over with Yumi.

"I did a pretty good job for my first time, didn't I?" he said, beaming at Yumi. Yumi just looked at him, confused.

I looked over at the others, and they all looked at me grimly.

* * *

><p><em>Not a lot of action on Carter and Devlin's part, but I'm still happy with the chapter. <em>

_Just two more to go until the end. I gotta say, it's been fun writing this story, but it had to end eventually._


	65. Chapter 62: Fight to the Finish

Chapter 62: Fight to the Finish

_Not much to say here except for the first time in this story's long run, I'm actually naming a chapter after a canon episode. Episode 94: Fight to the Finish. It seems fitting._

* * *

><p>I was very glad that I wasn't the one who had to tell William the truth.<p>

After getting over the shock, William ran back to Kadic to take over for his clone, which disappeared just after William came back. Devlin's suspicions of William's parents coming in to check up on their son proved to be right.

I never pegged Devlin as psychic, but now I have to wonder.

Anyway, the Dunbars' had been freaked when they met William Clone and were about to discover the truth when the real William swooped in and calmed them down. Everything was fine after that, except for William's reputation.

Well, Jeremy _did_ try to upgrade William Clone, so there was really nothing we could do about that.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Morning<strong>

I woke up to Aelita screaming again.

"Holy crap!" I shrieked when I fell out of bed. I sat up and rubbed my aching arm-I landed hard on it- and looked over at the pinkette. She was sitting in her bed with her head in her hands.

I stood up and walked over to her. "What was it about this time?" I asked her.

"My dad getting devirtualized by XANA."

Figured it had to be that. I gathered her in my arms and rocked her back and forth like she was a baby. "It was just a nightmare," I told her soothingly, and eventually she stopped shaking.

* * *

><p>I was at breakfast with the others, though Jeremy had yet to show up. He had barely slept all week thanks to that multi-agent program. That boy was going to die early thanks to his work.<p>

"Yuck, what did they put in these croissants today?" Ulrich complained, putting down his pastry.

"I'll take it off your hands."

"How can you eat those things?" Ulrich asked Odd.

"Just watch me."

"You worried about Jeremy?" Devlin asked Aelita, who had been staring out the window, lost to the world.

"Well, yes, but that's not all," Aelita admitted. "I've got a premonition. I think all this stuff is gonna have a bad ending."

"There are no such things as premonitions," Devlin said smartly. "You just think it because after everything you've been through, you naturally expect the worst to happen."

"This coming from the guy who predicted William's parents coming in to check up on their son," Ulrich deadpanned.

"I didn't predict anything," Devlin protested. "I just thought that after all that William Clone has done, his parents would get concerned and eventually make their way here to find out what."

"And you didn't tell us about your theory why?" Yumi asked angrily.

"What with all the XANA attacks and Replikas and everything, I didn't see the point in unnecessarily worrying everyone."

"We still should have known," I scolded him gently. I punched him lightly on the shoulder.

Devlin gave me a half-smile. "Yeah, I should have. But don't worry Aelita, we'll take care of XANA, just wait and see." Aelita did not look happier.

"Yeah, he'll be no match for Odd the Magnificent!" Odd said, grinning with his teeth full of bread.

"Yeah, he'll be running when he see those crumbs in your teeth," Ulrich pointed out. Odd put both hands over his mouth, making everyone-even Aelita-laugh at him.

"Mind if I sit here?" came a sudden voice from our right. We looked to see William holding a breakfast tray, looking pretty crestfallen.

"Umm…" went Yumi.

"I get the message," he said, walking away.

"No wait, just pull up a chair," Devlin said.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted, thanks." William left to go sit alone in the back.

"We can't keep treating him like that," Aelita told us. "He's not our enemy now."

"Maybe not, but he was still XANA's ally," Odd pointed out.

"Not on his own free will."

"But it was his fault too," Ulrich protested. "If he hadn't tried playing the hero the Scyphozoa wouldn't have caught him!"

"The Scyphozoa caught us too," I said, pointing to me and Aelita. "Quite a few times, actually. It could have happened to you as well."

The others mulled that over for a minute.

"Okay, we'll be nicer to him, but he can't ever go back to the factory," Yumi said diplomatically.

I shrugged. "Fine by me." Aelita also looked okay with it.

Suddenly Aelita got a phone call, which she answered. "Jeremy? What...But how you know it's not a fake message? Sounds like a XANA tactic…You're right, it could be my father. Be right there."

"What was all that about?" I asked as she put away her phone.

"My father just contacted Jeremy. We have to be at the factory in fifteen minutes."

* * *

><p>We were on our way to the manhole cover in the clearing when we saw Sissi there.<p>

"What are you doing here, Sissi?" Devlin asked pleasantly when we neared her.

"I thought I saw Jeremy come through here," she admitted. "I was going to ask why he was running in the forest when he disappeared."

Like I said before, Sissi had been a really nice person the last couple of months. Her reputation had a nicer ring to it, and her popularity had skyrocketed to the point where no one really hated her anymore. Ever since that happened she continued to be a nicer person in general, so I would assume that Sissi had no ulterior motives when she said she was wondering why Jeremy was running through here.

"All of us are late for water polo practice," Ulrich said quickly. "We all have to go meet Jim in the gym."

"Shouldn't you have water polo practice in the pool?"

"You're absolutely right," Odd said as we all started running away. "If Ulrich wasn't a brunette, I would say he was having a blonde moment."

* * *

><p>We took the long way through the boys' locker room in the gym-<em>not<em> a fun experience- and soon we were at the factory.

Once we were in the supercomputer room, Jeremy said, "I was beginning to wonder when you'd ever get here."

"Sissi saw you running through the woods and went to investigate," Devlin explained. "We had to take a different route so we wouldn't look suspicious."

"Anyway, what's all this about my father?" Aelita asked Jeremy.

"Franz Hopper sent me some interesting data and coordinates," Jeremy told us. "He's preparing something on the ice sector. Something really critical."

"Critical in what way?" Aelita inquired.

"I wish I knew. But if he suddenly decided to reappear, I don't think it's only to say hello."

"He's gonna need an escort to protect him from XANA's monsters," Ulrich said.

"Right, that's why all six of you are going in," Jeremy ordered us.

"You mean, all seven of us," said William, climbing down the ladder instead of using the elevator. When did he get here?

"William, what do you think you're doing here?" Yumi demanded to know.

"Well, I thought that since XANA's been using me all this time, I should have my revenge," he said from across the room.

"You have a point there, but we can't let you go," Devlin said. "XANA could try to use you again."

"In other words, you don't trust me anymore." William glared at us. "Look, I was XANA's prisoner, totally against my will."

"XANA captured you once, he could do it again," Yumi pointed out mercilessly. "And you're not like us, you're not…strong enough."

"You mean, not strong enough to fend off XANA's mind control?" I asked suddenly. "'Cause I was in that same position once, and it's like déjà-vu for me."

"So you're taking his side?" Ulrich demanded incredulously.

"No, I'm saying we should do what you guys did to me and only put him in for an emergency!"

Ulrich looked at me surprised. The others except Devlin and Jeremy looked at each other.

"We don't have time to lose. All in favor?" Jeremy said diplomatically. Everyone shrugged and went down to the scanner room.

Once the elevator opened up to the scanner room, Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich rushed to the scanners. Devlin, Aelita, and I stayed behind for our turn. That was why were the first to see Aelita put her hand to her head, like she was getting a headache.

"Aelita, you okay?" I asked her concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine," Devlin said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, you might even get to see your father today," Ulrich reminded her.

"And Ulrich and I can ask him how to get better grades in computer class," Odd joked.

"Everybody, in!" Jeremy ordered us. Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi climbed into the scanners and waited to be virtualized.

"Transfer: Ulrich. Transfer: Odd. Transfer: Yumi. Scanner: Ulrich. Scanner: Odd. Scanner: Yumi. Virtualization."

In half a minute the scanner doors slid open, and the rest of us climbed in. The scanner still looked like something out of a science fiction movie, but a totally cool one with me and my friends as the stars.

The doors slid closed, and the bright light inside the scanner made me close my eyes.

"Transfer: Aelita. Transfer: Carter. Transfer: Devlin. Scanner: Aelita. Scanner: Carter. Scanner: Devlin."

Wind began to blow upward like a vacuum, and my hair pulled up towards it. I slowly began to see white, like all the other times I went to Lyoko.

"Virtualization."

* * *

><p>I woke up twenty feet in the air at the south point of the ice sector. I landed on my feet and looked at the others.<p>

"The meeting point should correspond with the iceberg dead ahead of you," Jeremy told us from his cushy seat in the factory.

"How come your always right, Einstein?" went Odd.

We all ran towards an iceberg with a pretty waterfall falling from the middle of it. Seemed like a nice place to have a meeting.

"I'm picking up intense activity on the other side of the waterfall," Jeremy said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Odd. "Let's go!"

"Um, Odd," said Aelita softly, "I'd like to have a minute alone with my father."

"I understand, Princess."

"Besides, you won't be far away if something goes wrong."

"Go on, hurry," Yumi told her.

Aelita ran towards the waterfall, going to a crevice on the right. Soon she disappeared from view.

I could only imagine what kind of reunion they were having. It was obviously going to be weird, what with the whole evil computer program in a virtual world thing, but I hoped it was warm and happy, like it should be.

And then we felt a rumbling in the ground, which shook us all. It could only be one thing.

We heard it before we saw it. Coming from the left of us was the looming mountain known as the Kolossus. And he wasn't alone; he had five mantarays circling around him like a posse.

"XANA really went all out this time," Devlin said as the first wave of mantarays descended on us. I withdrew my daggers from their sheaths and ran up to the first monster. I had to dodge some lasers, but when I threw a dagger at the monster, it exploded.

Before I could use telekinesis to get it back, a mantaray shot at me. I barely dodged in time, and had to retreat before I really started losing life points.

That was when I saw Aelita come running from behind the waterfall, her energy orb of a father behind her.

Before I could ask, I turned to the others. They were all battling and shooting at monsters, and the Kolossus threw a punch at a glacier, destroying it and sending the broken chunks littering to the ground.

I used telekinesis and got my dagger back just as all the extra mantarays withdrew to circle the Kolossus. No doubt they were preparing for another attack.

"We're going to need our vehicles," Yumi said.

"Jeremy?" Aelita called out to him. "Jeremy, are you there?" The boy genius wouldn't answer.

"We left William with him," Devlin realized. "XANA might have possessed him again."

"Well that's just fantastic," Ulrich said sarcastically. In the meantime, the Kolossus was making its way towards us.

"Yumi, use the monsters to get back to the factory," Aelita ordered her.

"I'll keep big and ugly busy," Ulrich volunteered. He used his super sprint to latch on and climb up the Kolossus's arm, slowly making his way towards the XANA eye.

Yumi ran up to the Kolossus, just under its feet. "For once, I'm going to bow down to you XANA!" she declared as the Kolossus stepped on her, devirtualizing her.

While Ulrich was busy climbing up the Kolossus, the rest of us ran away with Franz Hopper to safety. We jumped down at the end of a icy ravine on the glacier, going for some cover. Just as we ducked, a mantaray swooped down and tried to kill us.

Devlin took out both his guns and shot at the monster rapidly, missing twice before he finally shot down the mantaray.

"You never miss like that," I accused him. At least, I had never seen him miss like that.

"This is the final battle between us and XANA," he told us. "So excuse me if I'm a little nervous about our victory."

"Hey, do you read me guys?" Jeremy finally called out to us.

"Where've you been, Einstein?" Odd demanded to know. "You almost missed a wild party with the Kolossus and a bunch of mantarays."

"Whatever you do, protect Franz Hopper," Jeremy ordered us. "He's sending me some data right now."

"Jeremy, what happened to you?" Aelita asked, concerned.

"XANA launched an attack. He knocked me out and XANAfied William!"

"We figured as much," I told him.

"We should have brought him to Lyoko with us," Odd whimpered.

"Maybe so," Jeremy allowed. "But go ahead and tell that to Yumi."

"I think I'll take my chances with the Kolossus," Odd said sheepishly.

Just then, a mantaray came towards us, firing lasers at us. Odd put up his shield to block the lasers coming in, and Aelita threw an energy field, destroying it.

"Nice teamwork," I congratulated them. Odd preened a bit at the compliment and Aelita smiled.

"Oh, no!" Jeremy cried. "XANA's draining energy from all the Replikas to strengthen the Kolossus!"

"Does Ulrich know that?" Devlin tried to look for him as he made his way up the Kolossus's arm.

"Probably not," I said grimly. "He's gonna need backup."

"Be careful," Odd told me seriously. I nodded and willed my demon wings to appear. I flapped them once and launched myself into the air, flying towards the face of the monster.

The mantarays began shooting at me and I narrowly dodged them. I neared the Kolossus just in time to see Ulrich impale the XANA eye on its face with his saber. The monster began to move back and forth, trying to shake him off.

I flew faster to Ulrich, flapping my wings and exerting myself to save him. He was dangling from one hand from his saber, and the Kolossus was doing a really good job of shaking him off.

And suddenly, the Kolossus stopped moving, temporarily immobilized.

"Good job, Ulrich!" Jeremy congratulated him. But then he said, "Oh no!"

"What's going on?" I said, hovering near Ulrich.

"Franz Hopper disappeared into the Digital Sea," he explained. "But he sent me the data I needed to complete my… my anti-XANA program."

"You're what?" I asked.

"Thanks to this program, I can destroy XANA."

"Well, you better hurry up and run the thing because the Kolossus seems to be getting his strength back!" Ulrich cried out as the Kolossus began to shift and move again.

"For it to work, you all have to be in Sector Five," Jeremy told us. "I can't do it alone."

"That's easy for you to say!" I yelled as the mantarays began shooting at me again. I threw my dagger at one of them, and it exploded. "YES!"

"Carter, a little help?" Ulrich cried out to me as he dangled from the Kolossus's eye. I flew quickly towards him, narrowly dodging lasers again.

When I got to Ulrich, I put my arms around his waist and lifted him up, using all my strength just to carry him. He dislodged his saber from the XANA eye.

I was breathing heavily from the sheer exertion of carrying Ulrich, flapping my wings rapidly just to carry us both. But despite that I could feel us slowly sinking to the ground.

"Let me go, now!" Ulrich cried. I looked down to see the Kolossus's bladed hand just under us. I let go of Ulrich and he landed on the XANA eye in the blade. He plunged his saber into it, and the Kolossus finally stopped in its tracks.

Ulrich was thrown off the blade, and I flew in to catch him. I grabbed his ankle and, with him upside down, we softly crash landed to the icy floor. My wings disappeared and I began to cough and gasp for air from my exhaustion.

And then I saw the glowing white transport orb come out of the Digital Sea where Odd, Aelita, and Devlin were. "So long, Volcano brain!" Odd taunted the Kolossus. "Say hello to XANA for us!" And then the transport swallowed them up and took them to Sector Five.

And then I noticed how tilted the Kolossus looked from the ground. And then I noticed that it was falling. I tried to get my wings out again, only to have them fail for the first time.

"RUN!" I screamed at Ulrich, and together we tried to run away from the falling monster. But gravity was against us, and the insanely large mass of the monster fell on top of us.

* * *

><p>I woke up in the scanner room with the door to my scanner already open. "Nice flying back there," Ulrich said nicely as he walked towards me.<p>

"It would have been nicer if we got away from the Kolossus," I sighed dejectedly. And then I noticed that some of the wires connecting to the last scanner were ripped apart. "Where's William?" I asked Jeremy.

"He's fighting Yumi on the upper level," Jeremy informed us. "She's not exactly having a great day."

We immediately ran to the elevator and Ulrich slammed on the big red button. We waited impatiently for the doors to close and for the elevator to start up.

When we finally got to the upper level-where the stairs connecting the two levels were missing- Yumi and William were nowhere to be found. We panned out in search for them, and eventually we heard the sounds of fighting going on.

We ran towards the sounds, and we soon came into the car assembly room, where William was standing over Yumi, ready to finish her off. Ulrich immediately ran and jumped on top of him.

"William, I never want to see you hanging around Yumi ever again," he ordered him smugly. I used that moment to get to Yumi and hoist her on her feet.

I was half-carrying her out of the room when William threw Ulrich off. I let go of Yumi and pushed her towards the stairs. "Go!" I hissed at her. I turned around and ran to William, one fist aimed at his face.

William blocked my attack with his palm and threw me aside. I landed hard on the assembly line, and my back hurt like a _bitch_.

I watched as Ulrich tried to kick William using Pencak Silat, only to have William dodge easily. On the plus side, he was already backed into a corner, so Ulrich could tackle him easily.

But just as Ulrich was running towards him, William phased backwards into the wall, making Ulrich slam his head against the wall.

Since when could William do that?

I knew that William was about to do a sneak attack, so I willed my daggers into the real world and got one out. I aimed one at the wall until I saw William step out of it. While Ulrich was leaning against it, holding his smarting head, William had a ball of purple energy in his hand, aimed at Ulrich.

I threw the dagger at William, winging him in the shoulder. He cried out in pain, but not before shooting the ball lightning at Ulrich. Luckily he dodged in time so he didn't get hit.

Ulrich fell to the ground and swiped at William's feet, knocking him to the ground. Ulrich popped up, standing over him. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," he said happily.

I took that moment to get up from the assembly line. I sneaked over to Ulrich just in time to see William pop up from the ground.

Knowing what was going to happen next, I threw myself at William, one dagger in hand. I latched onto his back, legs around his waist as he tried to violently buck me off. I stabbed my dagger into his chest as deeply as I could, and I cringed as he cried out in pain next to my ear.

I then felt rough hands grab me from the shoulders. William was getting me off him, and he threw me as hard as he could to the other side of the room. I body slammed into some boxes, my head and back hitting the wall with a hard crack. Pain coursed through my body, making me see dark spots everywhere. I could vaguely see Yumi running to help Ulrich as he tried to beat up William, but my eyesight was failing me.

I closed my eyes as darkness washed over me.

* * *

><p>I woke up to screaming.<p>

The scream was loud and inhuman, and in my bleary vision I could see a smoky gray cloud loom over us. It was slightly humanoid with the XANA eye etched into its stomach. It writhed in agony as it curled up into a ball.

And then the smoky monster slowly receded into itself, becoming smaller and smaller until it was gone.

I slowly stood up to the protest of my aching body and sluggishly made my way over to the other side of the room. I found William unconscious on the floor, and Ulrich and Yumi huddled together against the wall.

"Did we win?" I asked breathlessly.

It took a moment, but Ulrich finally said, "We did."

* * *

><p><em>Next chapter: the finale.<em>


	66. Chapter 63: The End of It All

Chapter 63: The End of It All

_I just want to say: thank you all for staying with me for over a year. Thank you for being patient with my writer's block and with my three-month hiatus. Thank you for being there when I felt too inadequate to continue this story. Thank you for reviewing and telling me what you liked and hated about my story. Thank you for giving me ideas when I needed them. Thank you for being there when I needed the confidence to continue writing._

_So without further ado, I present to you the final installment of Code Lyoko: Super Soldier._

* * *

><p>The three of us went up the elevator to the scanner room where we saw Aelita crying in Jeremy's arms. Odd and Devlin were staring at them, tears in their eyes. I walked up to them and quietly asked, "What happened?"<p>

"Franz Hopper's dead," Devlin whispered into my ear so Aelita couldn't overhear.

I didn't bother offering my condolences or saying I was sorry. When my parents died, people would come up to me and say how great they were and how sorry they were that they died. I hated how fake it sounded, the pity in their eyes when they talked to the poor orphaned girl. They didn't know what to say or do around me, just do all the standard things that TV and movies taught them.

I thought Aelita would hate it too, so I didn't bother to say anything.

* * *

><p>None of us could eat the next morning, not even Odd. Jeremy was rocking back and forth in his chair, and I was picking at my food.<p>

"Odd, do you want my croissant?" Aelita asked, holding it up.

"No, I got my own," Odd replied. "Besides, I'm not that hungry."

"Yeah, me neither," all of us said in cadence.

Yumi then walked up to us, all smiles. "Hey, guys. Today's the day, I guess. You ready?"

"Yeah, I guess," Odd said dejectedly.

Yumi beamed at him. "Well, let's go and shut down the supercomputer."

* * *

><p><strong>At the Factory<strong>

We walked out of the elevator into the heart of the supercomputer, a behemoth of black machines with orange circuit boards running through it. It almost looked like towers.

Jeremy walked up to the power source and unlocked the lever that would shut down the supercomputer. "Well, it'll be all over this time," he said. "Do any of you want to say something?"

Devlin was about to say something when Yumi interrupted him. "We've had our share of ups and downs: hours of detention, hours of glory. The seven of us have gotten used to life with Lyoko; now it's time for a new life without it. Come on, Jeremy."

That was a pretty good speech, but it didn't make me feel better. Sure, I hadn't been on Lyoko nearly as much as the others, but it would still be weird not having to worry about XANA attacking the world every other day.

And then the full reality hit me, making me choke. No more virtual fights. No more saving the day. No more being part of a group. Sure, I had my doubts in the beginning, but now Lyoko was a drug I couldn't live without. It made me feel special and important, like my life was more than just being a test subject and being a verbal punching bag for bullies.

It made me a hero, and most importantly, it gave me wonderful, amazing friends and I couldn't imagine my life without them.

Without Lyoko, our group was nothing.

I hadn't been the only one hesitating. Jeremy's hand had been wavering over the switch. "I'm sorry, but I can't," he said.

"What, are you out of your mind?" Yumi demanded to know. "What's wrong with you?"

"I can't shut it down."

"You can't, Jeremy, or you won't?"

Jeremy put a hand to his head. "I don't know."

"Look, it's very simple: we destroyed XANA, and now we have to shut down this horrible machine." Yumi turned to the rest of us. "What are the rest of you waiting for? Tell him!"

I was looking down at my feet like everyone else. It seemed I wasn't the only one who didn't want to shut down the supercomputer.

"What is _wrong_ with all of you?" Yumi asked.

Her tone of voice made me furious. "What's wrong with us? What's wrong with you? Have you seriously forgotten that Lyoko is the thing that brought us all together? How can you be so callous that you can just shut down the thing that made us friends?"

Yumi looked at me, shocked, and then her face morphed into anger. "I know that! I just thought that after all the hell XANA put us through, we'd shut down the supercomputer as a team! Why are you of all people so against it?"

"Maybe we should have a vote," Jeremy interjected, trying to stop us from fighting.

"Yeah, sure, why not," Yumi mumbled.

"Who votes for shutting down the supercomputer?" Jeremy asked. Yumi raised her hand (what a shocker). No one else did.

"I think we need some time to think on this," Devlin said diplomatically. "I mean, we just defeated XANA yesterday. It seems a little too soon to just shut down the supercomputer now."

"I agree," I said, calming down. "We'll think it over and then decide on a meeting time. It seems fair enough."

* * *

><p><strong>Back on campus<strong>

I was walking with Jeremy and Devlin to the outside vending machine when we spotted Yumi there with an open can in her hand.

I honestly didn't feel like talking to her right now, but after all we've been through together and today being what it is, it seemed right to talk over our differences and call a truce.

Yumi noticed us and narrowed her eyes at me before turning away. "I'm not in the mood to talk."

"It's me who wants to talk to you," Jeremy said. "I wanted to explain to you why I voted against shutting down the supercomputer."

"I'm not in the mood to hear that either." Yumi stood up.

"Do you remember me when I first came here?" Jeremy said quickly. "The big brain of Kadic, straight-A computer genius and not one single friend. I discovered Lyoko and everything changed for me. I became a hero who could save the world."

"Did you expect us to keep playing superhero until we were eighty?" Yumi asked caustically. "It had to end sometime."

"I know, but I don't want to lose what we've got together; our friendship. Our friendship is directly linked to the supercomputer. If we shut that down, I'm afraid we'll also shut down our friendship."

Yumi's hardened expression softened considerably. I took that chance to explain myself. "I'm kind of the same way." Yumi looked at me.

"To be honest, I was hesitant about Lyoko. It seemed dangerous, especially when I had that disease when coming out of the scanners. But the more I got on it, the more I discovered about myself, I realized how amazing it was and what incredible friends I got along with it. It was like a dream. I always knew it had to end, but when it came down to it, I kept imagining us breaking apart and losing our friendship. Lyoko is the glue that kept us together, and seeing it get shut down is way too painful for me."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Devlin gave me a one armed hug. "But you forgot one thing: without the supercomputer, we'd still be at the mercy of the project. Seeing the haven that helped us defeat it get shut down is too much for me."

"I understand," Yumi said softly, smiling slightly. "Lyoko means a lot to me too. But it does have to end, and I believe our friendship is too strong to shut down."

* * *

><p>It was after gym class, and I was dead tired. I was sitting on the bench near the science wing, throwing my head back and just lying there and enjoying the sunshine.<p>

And then I heard, "Hey, Carter." I looked up to see Odd standing over me, blocking the sunlight.

"Hey, Odd." I made room for him on the bench. "What's up?"

"I heard what you said to Yumi from Devlin," he said as he sat down. "You really meant all that?"

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"You never really said anything like that before."

"Dude, what I said was cheesy. It'd be embarrassing if I said something like that all the time."

"That's true."

"So what are your reasons for not wanting to shut down the supercomputer?" I asked him.

"I was afraid I'd miss it."

"Miss what?"

"The fighting, the adventure, the heroics, all that fun stuff. Without Lyoko, life's going to be awfully boring." Odd smiled into the distance, no doubt reminiscing about all the cool stuff he could do on Lyoko.

"Having more time for your friends and music and sports doesn't exactly seem like such a boring thing."

"Funny; Ulrich said the same thing during gym," Odd noted.

I looked at my nails nonchalantly. "Did I forget to mention all the fun dates you could have with your girlfriend?"

"Again, Ulrich said the same thing."

"…Okay, that's kind of creepy. By the way, why did Ulrich vote against shutting down the supercomputer?"

"He likes being a hero."

"I figured. Someone like Ulrich would like that."

"What's the supposed to mean?" Odd huffed at me, all ready to defend his best friend.

"It means that's his personality. He likes being the superhero and saving the damsel in distress," I explained.

"Is the damsel Aelita or Yumi?"

"It's usually Aelita. Why do you say Yumi?"

Odd thought for a moment. "Well, sometimes Ulrich has to save Yumi during XANA attacks. I don't think you were around for them, though."

"Or I was on Lyoko. Speaking of Lyoko, I am going to miss one more thing on there," I admitted.

"Oh, yeah, what's that?" Odd inquired.

I smirked at him. "I'm going to miss seeing you in your purple cat costume."

He blushed furiously. "Are you trying to embarrass me?"

I patted Odd's check affectionately. "You were so adorable in that," I cooed.

"Damn it, Carter!"

"Della Robbia, stop acting like a nitwit and go to the principal's office!" Jim's voice roared at us. We turned to see him glaring at the two of us.

"How'd he find us?" I muttered under my breath. Odd stood up and said, "I'll see you later after I get chewed out by the principal."

* * *

><p>I already knew why Aelita didn't want to shut down the supercomputer. Last night, she told me tearfully that there was a chance that her father was still on Lyoko. It was a long shot, but I didn't tell her that as I held her crying form.<p>

I also didn't tell her how impossible it would have been for Franz Hopper to come back to the real world. Where would be live-the Hermitage? It was a decrepit haunted house. And where would he work? He fell off the face of the Earth years ago. He wouldn't be able to care for Aelita if he was still alive.

My train of thought was interrupted when I saw Sissi being dragged by her father to the infirmary. "No not the infirmary, you have to go to the factory!" she was screeching as they went past.

I turned to see Devlin behind me. "She found out about the supercomputer," he stated.

"I thought she was over trying to find out our secrets."

He shrugged. "She was probably just curious. Anyway, we have to perform one last return to the past."

I looked around to see Yumi and Ulrich by the woods, holding each others' hands and looking into each other's eyes. I nudged Devlin and pointed it out.

"Well, it's about time," he said as the world went white.

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the factory<strong>

"Who's in favor of shutting down the supercomputer?" Jeremy asked with the heart of the computer right behind him. Everyone raised their hands, even Aelita.

Jeremy smiled and Devlin began to sing softly, "_Even if we lose our rights, we ain't got nowhere to go/ we will always have each other even after we all go."_

Everyone looked at him, surprised. Oh, right, they didn't know Devlin could sing.

As they stared at him, I took his and Odd's hands and squeezed. Odd, understanding, then took Aelita's; Devlin grabbed Ulrich's hand, who in turn took Yumi's. And to finish the chain, Yumi took Jeremy's hand, and with the other he grabbed the lever.

Devlin's voice grew stronger and louder. "_And even if we lose our cool, and there's things that we don't know/ we will always have each other even after we all go."_

Jeremy pulled down the lever, and the bright yellow and orange lights of the power source faded. The great tower went back into the ground and closed up, revealing the XANA eye logo as it closed itself off. The light went off in the room, and it soon became cold, with our breaths puffing out white clouds.

And still Devlin sang, "_So even if we lose our rights, we ain't got nowhere to go/ we will always have each other even after we all go. And even if we lose our cool, and there's things that we don't know/ we will always have each other even after we all go."_

* * *

><p><em>Remember a long time ago when I said I was going to use an Orange song for one of the chapters? This is what I had in mind. It's called "Each Other" by Orange.<em>

_I can already tell a few reviewers will complain about Odd and Carter not confessing their love for each other. As I have pointed out, they are teenagers. They know next to nothing about love, so why make them say it? It's a lot more fun when its ambiguous. _

_As for my next story, **Soldiers of the Evolution**, I don't know when I'll start writing it. Probably when Evolution's over. I hope you look forward to reading it._


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